McLaren became the first front-running team to reveal their 2012 challenger as the wraps came off the new MP4-27 at the team’s UK factory in Woking. With it, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton hope to land McLaren their first constructors’ crown since 1998.

Unlike the 2012 Caterham launched last week, McLaren has avoided a stepped-nose design by making the whole front end of the chassis lower. “This is a beautiful car,” commented Button. “Many of them that you will see will not be!”

While the car closely resembles last year’s MP4-26, its chassis has been substantially revised from the ground-up, with all major systems updated or re-designed for the new season. The most evident visual differences include more tightly-waisted rear bodywork, developed to improve flow to the rear of the car, and a revised cooling system, which re-directs the gearbox oil-cooler.

Last year’s U-shaped sidepods have also been redesigned – a legacy of the FIA’s new exhaust regulations that redefine the shape of the rear bodywork – while among the more minor details, the rear view mirrors are also new, something which Hamilton joked should be helpful following his much-talked-about run-ins with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa last season.

“I’ve been keenly following the development of MP4-27 over the winter and I’ve been really encouraged by the results and the data that the engineers have been showing me,” said Hamilton.

“I think we already had a very strong base to build upon: Jenson and I won six races with MP4-26 last year and I think we’ve been able to retain all the strengths and the reliability of that design while also incorporating lots of improvements and new ideas into the new car.

“Of course, the biggest changes for 2012 are the modifications to the exhaust regulations – that will reduce the downforce and grip that we had last year, but it just puts the emphasis on the designers to try and claw some of that back in other areas. I get the feeling the MP4-27 is going to feel very new and exciting when we get to drive it for the first time.”

Following a one-day private shakedown, it is Button who will get the first taste of the new car when he begins track testing of the MP4-27 at Spain’s Circuito de Jerez next Tuesday, February 7.

“I know that the whole team is extremely proud of the MP4-27,” said Button. “It may look like a direct evolution of last year’s car, but we’ve analysed every area of performance over the winter and the whole car has benefited from lots of fresh thinking and new ideas in every area. I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel in Spain next week.

“With the regulations remaining relatively stable, we’ve really been able to focus on the detail with this year’s car. I still think we had a very fast package last year – it was very strong in certain areas – and our race pace was almost always fantastic, but we’re hoping for a further step forwards in 2012. With Mercedes-Benz, I think we also had the best overall engine and KERS Hybrid package in the pit lane.

“We were also able to continuously develop throughout the year to match Red Bull – and that shows that we have the knowledge, effort and resources to sustain our efforts across the course of a whole season, which can be crucial. I know that everyone will be watching us very closely to see what progress we make during the pre-season tests, but I genuinely believe we have every reason to feel optimistic about the progress we’ve made and our competitiveness this year.”

On McLaren’s and the MP4-27’s prospects for the coming championship campaign, team principal Martin Whitmarsh commented: “The 2012 season will be an important one for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: having finished second in the constructors’ championship for the past two seasons, we’re determined to mount a sustained, hard challenge for both world titles.

“We have a fantastically committed team of individuals, and MP4-27 is the fruit of their labours – it’s a beautiful car, and one we feel is the perfect platform from which to launch our assault on the world championship. While there are clear visual changes to this year’s car, there’s greater change beneath the skin, with lots of fresh thinking applied to every major system. The car is pleasingly complete.

“For 2012, we are well aware that Red Bull remains a very powerful and capable operation, and that both Ferrari and Mercedes AMG are ramping up their operational capacity. We have no room to be complacent – what you see today only scratches the surface of what we’re planning to deliver to the track both from an engineering and operational point of view throughout 2012.

“I’m pleased and confident that we’ve left no stone unturned in our quest for performance. Now, our focus invariably turns to the track as we evaluate MP4-27 ahead of the start of the 2012 season in Melbourne on March 18. These will be a fascinating three weeks.”

The Repsol Honda Team kicked off their defence of the MotoGP World Championship by having 2011 MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner and team-mate Dani Pedrosa take the wraps off their all-new Honda RC213Vs at a news conference on the eve of the start of the official testing season in Sepang, Malaysia. Joining the riders was HRC Executive Vice President Shuhei Nakamoto, who gave a brief and light-hearted technical presentation while making certain not to reveal too many secrets.

The 2011 Repsol Honda three-rider team dominated last year’s championship, winning 13 of 17 races and finishing first, third, and fourth overall. Stoner led the way, winning ten times and clinching his second MotoGP World Championship on a emotional day in his home grand prix at Phillip Island, Australia. Stoner had a nearly flawless season, with podium appearances in every race but one, when he was knocked to the ground early in the Spanish Grand Prix. That turned out to be a minor setback, with Stoner winning the title by 90 points. Then Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso finished third, with Pedrosa finishing a close fourth, despite missing four races after being knocked out of the French Grand Prix. Pedrosa won three times and added six other podiums.

The Honda RC213V replaces the championship-winning 800cc RC212V as the MotoGP World Championship begins a new1000cc era. The machine was developed over the course of the last season, with Stoner testing it three times and Pedrosa twice, with continuous development and testing being done in Japan. Pedrosa finished the 2011 season by topping Stoner in the end-of-season test in Valencia, Spain.

The riders begin their three-day test yesterday, at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC). Following this test, the riders will return in 26 days for a second test before finishing the testing season in Spain at Jerez de la Frontera in late March.

The return to Sepang was bittersweet for the Repsol Honda Team. It was here that Honda’s rising star Marco Simoncelli lost his life in a racing accident on the second lap of the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix. The entire Repsol Honda team visited the corner where “Super Sic” lost his life, laid a wreath of flowers, and held a minute’s silence.

Casey Stoner finished on the podium in nearly every round last season on his way to winning the championship

Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda RC213V:
“We haven’t started this year, and going from 800s to 1000s I think it’s going to be a little bit more interesting during the pre-season, trying to understand where everybody’s level is, as well as what everybody’s machine level is. We know we have a lot of work to do now before the first race and that’s what we’re focused on doing. But how we can envision this championship going, we have no idea.

“We’re just going to do the best job we can at these tests, try and put ourselves in the best position we can for race one and start the championship well. But we don’t really know everybody else’s level or where we’re going to have to improve. I think Honda have done a fantastic job to give us this bike that we’re going to start with and hopefully we can improve it over these next tests. Hopefully, we’re going to do a little bit better job than the other manufacturers.”

After suffering from injury in 2011, Dani Pedrosa will return to Honda fully fit and in his best physical shape in years

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda RC213V:
“Yes, it’s clear I’ve been good all this time. I could enjoy the holidays and think of other things than being in the hospital or things in recovery. So I could be with family and friends and enjoy the time.

“About the season, as Casey (Stoner) said, there are lots of things to feel in the pre-season, a lot of tests and we have to figure out how we are for the first race. How the rivals are also. And just work, because it’s going to be for sure a long season and the battles are going to be strong, as always. It can be similar to last season or it can be different. Nobody knows at the moment, but actually the thing is to work hard and keep the head until the end.”

Shuhei Nakamoto, HRC Executive Vice President:
“The engine and chassis were developed last year because of the regulation change. We kept the same concept from the last year’s 800 machine. We expect this machine to be competitive enough to win the championship again this year. Even with the 800 machine you must reduce the power from first through fourth gear. With the 800, fifth gear, sixth gear, we could use the full power, then in a straight line.

“Of course this machine is a little bit faster. But time was gained only in fifth and sixth gear in the acceleration area. At the same time, the top speed is higher, meaning sometimes you must brake a little bit earlier. Then the cornering performance, if the chassis or tyres are virtually the same, it means that the cornering performance is exactly the same. So the new engine couldn’t make such a big difference. Then if you want gain the time, therefore you need more braking stability. And also we are having our chattering problems that we have to fix. Then I expect, of course, the lap time is better than 800, but not such a big difference, I expect.”

German car manufacturer, Volkswagen, may well be the next car company to join Formula 1, following the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Lotus in either supplying a team with their engines or even attempting at launching their own team in the sport.

This comes after Volkswagen representative, Wolfgang Durheimer, told prominent business magazine, Wirtschaftswoche, that he has devised a preliminary plan for the future that includes F1.

“Later this year I will put forward proposals to the executive group for (involvement in) not only the racing series that we do already. It is true — in America, Asia and the Middle East, we are not sufficiently represented in motor sport,” said Wolfgang Durheimer, hinting that Volkswagen could well partake in not only Formula 1, but other forms of Motor Sport as well.

The business magazine which Wolfgang Durheimer spoke to also stated that Volkswagen could well already have links with Toro Rosso, who are currently a breeding ground for new talent in F1 for Red Bull Racing.

The Lotus F1 team has revealed that it will name its 2012 car as the E20 to celebrate the 20th F1 chassis to be designed at its Enstone base.

The team, previously known as Renault and racing under the Lotus name this year, moved to Enstone back in 1992 and has taken F1 world titles with both Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso.

The E20, which will be driven by Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean, will be launched on the Lotus F1 team website on 5th February before hitting the track in the first pre-season test at Jerez two days later.

“Our naming of the chassis to recognise Enstone’s importance to the team’s evolution highlights our recognition of the contribution of the facility and the personnel who work tirelessly every year to produce the very best car possible,” said team boss Eric Boullier.

“We certainly hope that this is the case with the E20 and we are looking forward to revealing the car to the world and seeing it out on track for the first time.

“There are a number of technical changes from last year and we have an exciting new driver line-up to extract the maximum from the E20 through the twenty grands prix of the 2012 season, including the 500th race for this team through its different incarnations. We hope that the E20 proves to be a performing Enstone design.”

It’s that time of year, ladies and gents, when Formula One teams begin unveiling their new cars for the upcoming season. But while the top teams like Ferrari and McLaren usually compete for the first slot, this time it’s Caterham (the team formerly known as Team Lotus), that has beat them all to the punch by revealing its new CT01.

Bearing a similar green and yellow livery and much of the same design as last year’s Lotus, the CT01 represents some of the changes you can expect to see across the board as the rest of the field fills out. That includes a rather odd-looking stepped nose design and reshaped rear quarters (due largely to the ban on exhaust-blown diffusers).

Underneath the bodywork – shaped in the Williams wind tunnel – sits the same Renault RS27 V8 engine that will be used this season by Red Bull, Lotus and Williams, coupled for the first time (for this team) to a Kinetic Energy Recovery System on the brakes and a Red Bull-sourced seven-speed sequential gearbox.

Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli will return for driving duties once the season kicks off in March. Before then, McLaren is expected to unveil its new MP4-27 on February 1, Scuderia Ferrari and Force India on February 3, Lotus on the fifth, Sauber and Red Bull on the sixth, and Mercedes-Benz on the February 21, with the remaining teams yet to announce the dates for their unveilings. So, stay tuned!

Proton’s PG Andersson piled on the pressure and stepped up his game in the Monte Carlo Rally to stretch his lead in the 2012 FIA Super World Rally Championship (S-WRC) category.

Combing the icy roads through snow, rain and fog, Andersson’s Satria Neo S2000 held on to 9th overall and extended his overnight lead from 23 seconds to some 1 minute 40 second over his nearest S-WRC rival Kevin Abbring in the Skoda Fabia S2000.

Abbring dropped two places to 12th overall with Irishman Craig Breen in the Ford Fiesta S2000 3rd in the S-WRC class and 15th overall, a further five minutes behind. Frenchman Bryan Bouffier in the Peugeot 207 S2000 retains 4th place in the S-WRC class but moved up to 18th overall.

Reigning world champion Sebastien Loeb continued to dominate the Monte Carlo Rally to lead by more than two minutes ahead of Spain’s Dani Sordo in the Mini. Sordo however, took advantage of third placeman Petter Solberg’s misfortunes to build a gap of more than a minute. Solberg had damaged the wheel of his Ford Fiesta and subsequently suffered a puncture.

The third day of rallying was contested over three special stages in the mountainous region of Southern France which included tackling what is reputed to be one of the most difficult stages of the Monte Carlo Rally, the 24.13km Cimetiere de Vassieux – Col de Gaudissart.

“It’s looking good but with five more special stages and two days of rallying ahead, it will come down to a test of nerves. Andersson is on course for what has been a phenomenal debut for Proton on the World Rally Championship, and the team’s extending all the support to see him to the finish,” said Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, the Head of Proton Motorsports.

Results as at SS13:

PROTON currently leads the 2012 FIA Super World Rally Championship (S-WRC) category and moved up one spot to ninth overall on the second day of the Monte Carlo Rally.

In what was yet another drama-filled second day of rallying, the Monte Carlo Rally continued to inflict heavy casualties and knocked out yet another front runner, this time Frenchman Sebastien Ogier who was running sixth overall and leading the S-WRC class in the Skoda Fabia S2000. Ogier was 5km shy of the finish when his Skoda was involved in a high-speed crash which put him into retirement.

With Ogier’s retirement, Andersson inherits the lead in the S-WRC class with Germany’s Kevin Abbring in the Skoda Fabia S2000 in second place and 10th overall, some 23 seconds behind. In third place and 15th overall is Craig Breen in the Ford Fiesta S2000 while fourth and 20th overall is Bryan Bouffier in the Peugeot 207 S2000.

Current world champion Sebastien Loeb extended his overall lead in Monte Carlo in dominant form, claiming victory in five of the day’s six special stages. The Frenchman overcame the icy conditions to currently hold a one minute 37 second lead ahead of Spaniard Dani Sordo in the Mini while in third place is Ford’s Petter Solberg a further three seconds adrift.

“The Monte Carlo Rally is all about pacing yourself to the finish. There is a very fine line between driving at your limit and being careful enough not to be caught out by the tricky and changing conditions of the terrain. We’ve had a good run so far, and with two more days of rallying remaining we are going to be extra cautious as the changing conditions on the special stages make it extremely difficult and tricky,” said Andersson.

“Our goal here is to get the Satria Neo S2000 to a strong overall finish and if all goes well, a podium finish in the S-WRC category on our debut.”

Only 59 cars of the 89-strong entries remain at the end of the second day of the Monte Carlo Rally which has already claimed some 30 retirements. The entries include 16 WRC cars and 11 S2000 cars.

“The performance of the Satria Neo S2000 and the results thus far has been nothing short of a phenomenal start to the season for us at PROTON,” said Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, the Head of PROTON Motorsports. “

Positions after SS10:

Pos   Driver              Team/Car       Time/Gap
1.    Sebastien Loeb      Citroen        2h 45m 56s
2.    Dani Sordo          Mini           +   1m 37s
3.    Petter Solberg      Ford           +   1m 40s
4.    Mikko Hirvonen      Citroen        +   3m 40s
5.    Evgeny Novikov      M-Sport Ford   +   3m 51s
6.    Francois Delecour   M-Sport Ford   +   5m 19s
7.    Pierre Campana      Mini           +   6m 49s
8.    Ott Tanak M-Sport   Ford           +   7m 00s
9.    P-G Andersson       PROTON         +  10m 08s <-----
10.   Kevin Abbring       Skoda          +  10m 31s

The MotoGP fraternity will revisit the scene of one of the most tragic incidences in the history of the motorcycling world championships, when all riders return to the Sepang International Circuit for the first official MotoGP testing starting on the 31st of January.

It will be an emotional return for all the MotoGP riders as this will be first time the riders will return to Sepang International Circuit after the tragic death of San Carlo Honda Gresini rider, Marco Simoncelli last October 2011, during the Malaysian MotoGP.

On a positive note, Sepang is set to kick off another exciting season with the first MotoGP official testing on the 31st January to the 2nd February followed by the second testing session on the 28th February to 1st March.

“MotoGP will be back and the action start here in Sepang. And, the new season looks set to be the most emotional and exciting ever,” declared Datuk Ahmad Razlan Ahmad Razali, the Chief Executive Officer of Sepang International Circuit (SIC).

“There’s perennial favourite, Valentino Rossi who will adorn Ducati colours for the second consecutive season; defending champion, Casey Stoner with Honda and Dani Pedrosa. There will also be a debut for Moto2 champion, Stefan Bradl.

“More good news for the fans as 2010 champion, Jorge Lorenzo will be back in action on Yamaha’s new factory YZR-M1 MotoGP bike at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia on January 31st.

“It will be the first time he will be on a MotoGP bike since his 2011 season was ended in premature and painful fashion when he crashed during the warm-up session for the Australian Grand Prix which forced him to miss the last two races in Sepang and Valencia,” said Razlan, adding that the MotoGP riders last tested their bikes in November in Valencia after the final race of 2011.

SIC’s reputation as one of the few circuits around to be selected as the official circuit for MotoGP testing is a testament to the excellent safety features and technical specifications of the track.

“SIC is proud to be one of the few circuits to be the official circuit for MotoGP testing and our circuit is favourable and well-liked by both riders and especially manufacturers in developing their bikes,” said Razlan.

“The presence of the riders is also a main draw for the fans from Malaysia and around the world and provides numerous economic impacts to our country through income from tourism spending.

“Tourists who come for the MotoGP testing will boost our country’s economy by spending on hotels, shopping and other activities during their stay in Malaysia,” added Razlan.

The first of two official testing with the second test scheduled later in the final week of February will see 21 teams testing with the new Claiming Rule Team (CRT) bikes and riders making their debut on the circuit.

Among the new CRT teams making their first appearance on the grid are Edwards (Forward Racing), Danilo Petrucci (Ioda Racing Project), Anthony West (Speed Master), Randy De Puniet (Aspar Team), Aleix Espargaro (Aspar Team), Ivan Silva (BQR-FTR), Michele Pirro (Honda Gresini), Yonny Hernandez (BQR-FTR) and James Ellison (Paul Bird Racing).

From 2012, teams not entered by one of the major manufacturers may seek Claiming Rule Team (CRT) status. CRT is intended to allow independent teams to be competitive at a lower cost and increase the number of entries in MotoGP.

Although the initial verdict was that the CRT bikes will be slower than the Prototype MotoGP bikes that will be on the grid, Colin Edwards, has given the thumbs up after testing the BMW/Suter CRT at Jerez with the overall impression being that the bike was better than he first expected.

The debut of these new CRT bikes will provide more excitement and proves a challenge to the traditional 800cc MotoGP prototype bikes and we look forward for the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix come 19th to 21st October.

Sepang’s MotoGP official tests will also give the fans the first glimpse of the riders and their new machines for the new season, including defending champion, Casey Stoner and perennial fan favourite, Valentino Rossi.

Ducati Corse boss Filippo Preziosi recently previewed the technical details of the 2012 Ducati Desmosecici that Rossi and Nicky Hayden will ride this season.

“The GP12 is a complete redesign of bike tested by Rossi in Valencia, but it will look deceivingly similar. It will still sport an aluminum perimetric frame and carbon swingarm, but they are new editions and the only components that actually remain the same are parts of the front (forks and steering components).

He assured that the rest of the bike is completely redesigned, stating: “Ninety percent of the parts are brand new.”

He also offered that with new chassis, the engine position will be able to be adjusted more, though declined to provide details regarding changes to the V angle (the angle between the two banks of the four cylinders) of the GP12 engine, which Ducati has traditionally run at a larger angle than their competitors using a V-four configuration.

In conjunction with the MotoGP pre-season test session in SIC, the main grandstand will be opened for fans to watch it for free while enjoying special early bird ticket promotion for the 2012 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. Additional to that, whoever purchases a MotoGP ticket at the circuit during the testing session, can also enjoy a 50% discount on tickets for the 2012 Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix hillstand tickets from just RM30.

“For the test, we will be opening the Main Grandstand for Malaysian fans to come and see their idols in action. There will be no charge and fans could take advantage of their trip to buy the discounted tickets from only RM40 for MotoGP race in October and a special 50% discount on hillstand tickets for F1. Fans get to enjoy both international events such as F1 and MotoGP for less than RM100.” said Razlan.

Main Grandstand – (RM150.00)
* Early Bird RM100.00 – Save RM50

K1 Grandstand – (RM100.00)
* Early Bird RM60.00 – Save RM40

F Grandstand – (RM70.00)
* RM40.00 – Save RM30

B Hillstand (Daily) – (RM18.00)

K2 Hillstand (Daily) – (RM18.00)

MotoGP 2012 season will start from 8th April at Qatar. Please refer to the full listing for 2012 below.

FIM Provisional 2012 MotoGP World Championship Calendar

2012 Formula 1 PETRONAS Grand Prix (23-25 March)
F1 TICKET PRICES for HILLSTAND TICKETS
(valid only at SIC during MotoGP testing)

C2 Hillstand (covered) – RM120.00
50% DISCOUNT – RM60.00

C1 Hillstand (non-covered) – RM60.00
50% DISCOUNT – RM30.00

C3 Hillstand (non-covered) RM60.00
50% DISCOUNT – RM30.00

K2 Hillstand (non-covered)RM60.00
50% DISCOUNT – RM30.00

Proton enjoyed an inspiring start to its 2012 FIA Super World Rally Championship (S-WRC) campaign by rallying into the top 10 at the end of the first four special stages at the Monte Carlo Rally.

Driver Per Gunnar Andersson paced the Satria Neo S2000 sensibly to finish the drama-riddled Day One of the Rally which saw several of the World Rally Championship frontrunners retiring or suffering major setbacks.

Citroen’s Sebastien Loeb inherited the lead at the Monte Carlo Rally after pace setter Jari-Matti Latvala rolled his Ford into retirement. Loeb holds more than a minute’s lead over Spaniard Dani Sordo who damaged the suspension of his Mini, followed by Petter Solberg in the Ford in third while Sebastien Ogier in the S2000 Skoda is fourth.

Proton too was caught up in the day’s drama when Italian driver Giandomenico Basso’s charge into a sixth gear corner at the opening special stage was blinded by the sun sending him crashing into a wall and forced into an early retirement.

Andersson will start the second leg of the Monte Carlo Rally with a four-minute advantage over S-WRC rival Craig Breen in the Ford Fiesta.

“The car was fantastic throughout the day, definitely stronger and a lot quicker than the package we had last season, but the goal will be to drive sensibly to make sure that we finish in Monte Carlo,” said a delighted Andersson.

“In Monte Carlo it is crucial for the tyres to have a better grip in the icy weather and wet conditions. This means we have to be a bit more cautious on the throttle and acceleration not to mention that braking can also be very tricky. What is most important is you have to feel good and safe about the car you’re driving, and I must say that the Satria Neo S2000 has provided me precisely with that degree of confidence.”

Meanwhile, Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, the Head of Proton Motorsports, said to have the Satria Neo S2000 finishing in the company of the top three WRC contenders the likes of Citroen, Ford and Mini, was a tremendous boost for the team and Malaysian car manufacturer.

“We have four more days of rallying in Monte Carlo, but the results of the first four special stages have nevertheless made it an impactful debut for Proton on the S-WRC circuit and above all, a strong indication that we are progressing in the right direction in terms of development of the Satria Neo S2000.”

Positions after SS4:

]]> http://www.wemotor.com/blog/2012/01/proton-drives-into-top-10-on-opening-day-in-monte-carlo-rally/feed/ 0 http://www.wemotor.com/blog/2012/01/red-bull-confirms-date-for-rb8-launch/ http://www.wemotor.com/blog/2012/01/red-bull-confirms-date-for-rb8-launch/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:42:05 +0000 Nooralia Zaharin http://www.wemotor.com/blog/?p=63830

Double World Champions, Red Bull Racing will unveil its new RB8 on its own official website on February 6th, the day before the first pre-season test takes place.

The team announced that at 1pm on February 6th, images of the new car and comments from drivers and management will be available on www.redbullracing.com.

The RB8 car will be the machine that the Milton Keynes-based outfit is hoping will deliver its third consecutive drivers’ and constructors’ world championship following Sebastian Vettel’s back-to-back success in 2010 and 2011.

Meanwhile, F1′s sixth-ranked team in 2011, Force India, will unveil its 2012 challenger on February 3rd at the Silverstone track, located across the road from its Northamptonshire headquarters.

Technical director Andrew Green said the VJM05, whose monocoque has already passed the FIA’s mandatory crash tests, will be built and fired up next week.

“There’s always a buzz around when it’s happening,” he said.

2012 F1 Car Launch Dates

1 Feb – McLaren (Woking)
3 Feb – Force India (Silverstone)
3 Feb – Ferrari (Maranello)
6 Feb – Sauber F1 Team (Jerez)
6 Feb – Red Bull (Online)

Mercedes is the only team to announce that it will delay the launch of its new car until after the first test in order to maximise development time. With a two-week gap between tests the team will first run the new W03 at the second test in Barcelona.