McLaren MP4-29 2014 F1 car launched

The official unveiling of the McLaren Mercedes 2014 F1 car has begun. The wraps have been pulled off the McLaren MP4-29 F1 car.

The MP4-29 has adopted similar livery seen on the 1998 championship winning car driven by Hakkinen. The chromed body is offset by black inserts and accents on the front and rear wing, however, McLaren has yet to announce its title sponsor - that's why the car looks so plain.

The 2014 season welcomes a whole host of technical changes to the world's most advanced racing machines. The 2.4-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine used in the outgoing F1 cars has been ditched in favour of a downsized 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged motor. The combined power output of the new engines still matches the 760bhp figure of the outgoing F1 cars, thanks to the 600bhp engine and 160bhp ERS system (Energy Recovery System).

Despite no loss in performance, economy on the new batch of F1 engines has increased significantly over the larger V8 motors – requiring 35 per cent less fuel.

The MP4-29 looks slightly different to the previous car due to changes in the aerodynamic ruling. The front wing is narrower, while the nose of the car has seen a dramatic redesign to keep inline with the new ruling.

Lotus has also revealed its car, which can be seen below.

And here’s our beauty #E22 #ImStillSexyAndIKnowIt pic.twitter.com/VWA69KnQRK

— Lotus F1 Team (@Lotus_F1Team) January 24, 2014

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