Revealed: The actual MCL38 launch date after surprise livery drop

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has confirmed the livery launch on the MCL38 was just that, admitting the full car launch is yet to come.

Preparations are in full flow for the season but McLaren decided to shock the system with the launch of the livery for the MCL38 on Tuesday afternoon, with the Woking-based team becoming the first constructor to reveal their colours for the 2024 season.

But with that reveal being purely cosmetic, the ‘proper’ car launch is still yet to come – a week before pre-season testing gets underway in Bahrain.

McLaren boss confirms Valentine’s Day launch for MCL38 after livery reveal

The MCL38 is a return to McLaren’s more conventional naming structure for their chassis, after the MCL60 of 2023 was a nod to the 60th anniversary of their team.

With the team taking the approach of unveiling their colour scheme ahead of the new season very early, Stella, who is fresh off the back of an impressive first season as team principal at McLaren, confirmed the actual car will be launched on 14th February – the same day of the planned launch for Mercedes.

Speaking after the livery was launched, the team principal said the MCL38 still has a way to go before it is ready, and it is all hands on deck behind the scenes at Woking to get everything in place – with processes having “moved on smoothly” from the end of 2023.

“Well, it’s always an exciting time when you see the season approaching, when you see the work that you have put together over the winter starting to come together, the parts that actually arrive,” Stella said.

“So we don’t have a car yet, because this car will be revealed on the 14th of February.

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“We have a livery now, which we love, and like I say, exciting time for everyone at McLaren, it’s the same for all Formula 1 teams at this time of the season really.

“Above all, at the moment, like always for us is just to focus on delivering, focus on continuing with the challenges associated with delivering a Formula 1 car.

“It’s thousands of parts so it’s always looking like a little bit of a miracle when you see it actually coming together and you have a car.

“So this time of the year, so far so good, I would say. Things have moved on smoothly from last year onto this year, so we will see then when we have the car on track what we’ve been able to achieve.”

Read next: MCL38 gallery: All the angles from McLaren’s shock livery reveal