McLaren has released footage of the first fire-up of the new Mercedes engine in its new MCL35M chassis marking a return to the power units they last used in 2014.
Although teams must use the same chassis as in 2020, McLaren had to modify the rear end of its chassis to accommodate Mercedes engines that has a different architecture than Renault’s.
After production director Piers Thynne explained the challenges of changing the power units, especially in circumstances where development is very limited, McLaren today released footage of the first ignition of a new Mercedes engine installed in a new chassis that passed FIA homologation in late 2020.
The footage does not reveal whether McLaren will retain the predominantly orange look of the car as in the last three seasons, with blue front and rear wings and sidepods, or will adjust the look to return to the Mercedes with which they always had a silver-black combination.
For the new 2021 F1 season McLaren will have a new driver lineup as Daniel Ricciardo will replace Carlos Sainz while Lando Norris remains in the team for the third season in a row.
The #MCL35M roars into life. ??
Watch on and listen in as we fire up our 2021 car for the first time… pic.twitter.com/v504FVupEX
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) January 27, 2021
