Vodafone McLaren Mercedes launches MP4-28 F1 car for 2013

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes launched its 2013 Formula 1 race car and kicked off a year of 50th anniversary celebrations with a spectacular parade of classic racing cars at the McLaren Technology Center.

The parade brought to life a string of race- and championship-winning McLarens from across the decades, including 1970’s M8D CanAm sportscar, Emerson Fittipaldi’s iconic 1974 M23, Ayrton Senna’s dominant 1988 MP4/4, our 1995 Le Mans-winning F1 GTR, Mika Hakkinen’s MP4-13 car from 1998 and Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 MP4-23.

The display culminated in the arrival of the team's  drivers for the 2013 season, Jenson Button and Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez – who arrived driving a development model of the new McLaren P1 sportscar and a 12C Spider, respectively.

The MP4-28 went for a redesign of the past year's F1 car, which is most notably around the nose, sidepod profiles, rear bodywork, and front suspension.

“Today’s parade of some of our greatest and most significant cars was a thrilling way to kick off our 50th anniversary celebrations and also our 2013 campaign – but it’s a reminder of the tremendous responsibility everyone within the McLaren Technology Centre shares to uphold the legacy began by Bruce McLaren and taken on by Teddy Mayer and Ron Dennis. said Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes “For 2013, of course, we go racing to win. With Jenson and Checo, and this fantastic-looking new car, I believe we’re extremely well prepared for another competitive season" Whitmarsh added.