The car, sporting a new variation of the 'papaya orange' colour scheme that was brought back the year before, was presented at the McLaren Technology Centre on Thursday. It features prominent branding for McLaren's new sponsors Estrella Galicia 0,0 and Huski Chocolate, as well as returning partners Petrobras and Dell, and engine supplier Renault. The MCL34 will be raced by two new drivers in Carlos Sainz and Formula 2 graduate Lando Norris, the pair replacing Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne, who made up the team's line-up in the two previous seasons. "The feeling within the team is incredible," said sporting director Gil de Ferran. "It is a lot of excitement, a lot of anticipation - and if I cast my mind back to six months ago when I joined team full-time and being in the trenches with everyone, thinking about every single decision, and now seeing car here, in its full glory, it really is an incredible feeling. "This is a beautiful piece of art, I think it It depicts very well all the capabilities that McLaren has in terms of craftsmanship and engineering. "This is an exciting time. We focused a lot on our preparations towards this year so I think we are ready and can't wait to get going." McLaren will be hoping that the 2019 car will be a marked improvement upon its predecessor, the Renault-engined MCL33, which had been intended to bring the team closer to F1's forefront after three torrid years using Honda power units. The MCL33 enabled McLaren to finish sixth in the constructors' standings, which only matched the best results of its latest Honda partnership. The team's position in the standings was also flattered by the re-setting of Force India's points, and CEO Zak Brown ultimately admitted the MCL33 was an “extremely poor racecar”. McLaren's disappointing form in 2018 led to a reshuffling of its technical staff and the departure of racing director Eric Boullier. The team arranged to bring on board Toro Rosso's James Key as tech chief, and confirmed at the start of this year that it would have a new team boss in Andreas Seidl, who had been lured away from Porsche. Seidl is due to start work with the team on May 1, while Key will join up with McLaren at a yet unspecified point "early in the new year". "We are very excited," said Brown. "A car launch is the start of a new season, it is about anticipation, excitement and appreciation – so many men and women come together to put this race car together. "We are in a rebuilding process and it is going to be a journey." McLaren MCL34 Photo by: McLaren<doc-sep>1:05 McLaren reveal their new MCL34 car ahead of the 2019 F1 season. McLaren reveal their new MCL34 car ahead of the 2019 F1 season. McLaren's fresh outlook We have become accustomed to McLaren chiefs making bold statements about their season's hopes and aims at car launches, even in recent years when expectations should probably have been tempered down. Take Eric Boullier at the 2017 launch: "There's a feeling around the factory that we're about to turn the corner." McLaren finished ninth. Or Zak Brown at last year's unveiling: "We definitely view 2018 as the year when McLaren will move closer to the front." McLaren finished seventh, but the gap to the top-three grew. But in 2019? It seems this is a different McLaren. Not only has Brown made drastic changes behind the scenes in Woking but he also has a young, motivated new driver line-up in place, one without a world champion in its ranks for the first time in over a decade. That in itself has perhaps produced lower expectations, but this is a McLaren team with a fresh outlook and understanding of the enormity of the challenge ahead. McLaren reveal 2019 F1 car Introducing the new cars Find out more about Sky Sports F1 Brown refused to make outright predictions for the upcoming season, claiming this was now a "rebuilding process" and a "journey", while sporting director Gil de Ferran admitted the key word for McLaren this term was "humility". "Obviously when we made the change last year, we were probably a bit over-excited about how quickly we would return to the front and we got that wrong," Brown acknowledged. The team's CEO continued: "I don't think it's now or never, but it's obviously a very important year, that we show a big step forward. "We've looked at that mirror to understand where we went wrong, made a lot of changes, both structurally and operationally, and so is this a very important year to show forward progress." New faces breed new optimism Brown and De Ferran waxed lyrical about Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, declaring Carlos is ready to stand up as the team's leader, and insisting Lando would hit the ground running. Together, the pair "represent the new generation of Formula 1 talent", according to Brown, who said they are "an integral part of the team and our collective effort to advance McLaren forward". F1 Testing live on Sky Sports F1 The Formula 1 Gossip column Brown added the changes off the track - McLaren's will have a new managing director and technical director starting this season in Andreas Seidl and James Key - will ensure Formula 1 is the team's main focus. "We needed to make sure that before we take on any other activities, that we have all the resources dedicated to Formula 1 because what we won't do is have any distractions to our F1 team," said Brown. Seidl is set to begin work on May 1, while McLaren will confirm Key's start date in the coming weeks. The long road back begins here The road back to F1 glory is now a mid to long-term project for McLaren, but it seems they are not expecting too many changes in terms of the pecking order until an anticipated major rules overhaul in 2021. Brown spoke in depth about the current regulations, citing what he believed was a worrying 'B team' trend, while he also claimed McLaren, Renault and Williams were "staying true to the sport". "You've got a few manufacturers and owners that are spending a tremendous amount of money that we can't compete with financially," he explained. "And then they've created these relationships with these 'B' teams which benefit the 'A' teams, so they're just getting that much more money. "Everyone is playing within the rules but I think the rules have got away and allowed this dynamic that is not healthy for the sport. Those are going to change. "So I think the next two years will remain difficult for anyone to catch the top two, three teams. "The grid now is very strong. If you look back, the last couple of teams on the grid have been weak, but if you look at Sauber, Alfa Romeo now, and Toro Rosso, these are strong racing teams. "We're excited in the direction Chase Carey and Ross Brawn are taking the sport, we think that will level the playing field, not only for McLaren, but also the entire grid and help put on a better show for the fans." 3:35 Carlos Sainz is determined to lead the McLaren team into a successful new era as he prepares for his first season after signing from Renault Carlos Sainz is determined to lead the McLaren team into a successful new era as he prepares for his first season after signing from Renault Sainz makes home at McLaren Still just 24 but preparing for his fifth F1 season, Sainz is seen by McLaren to possess the perfect blend of youth, experience and speed. The Spaniard, replacing his idol Fernando Alonso this year, also has a point to prove. "I'm impatient to win but I don't need to win now," he said. "I want to be part of this recovery plan, and I want to be part of this restructuring. What Fernando did last year was great but I don't feel the pressure of stepping into his shoes." Sainz believes it is a matter of "when, not if" McLaren return to the front, adding: "I want to be part of this family for a long time." Sainz, initially on a two-year contract, has also moved to Surrey from Madrid in order to help McLaren as much as he can back at base. "I'm really motivated in this challenge and I really want to lead this team," he stated. "In order to do that I need to be around for whatever they need me for. "From Monday to Friday I see it as a bit of a job, to be always around, to keep having new ideas, to be available for a quick run in the simulator. "I'm just so motivated for this challenge that it just came very natural to move to the UK. I feel at home." How's that for dedication. 3:45 McLaren rookie Lando Norris expects his first season in Formula 1 to be a steep learning curve McLaren rookie Lando Norris expects his first season in Formula 1 to be a steep learning curve A learning year for Norris He arrives in the sport as Britain's youngest ever driver with plenty of pressure on his shoulders, but Norris was typically cool and calm in his media session, cracking jokes about not wanting to "party" at the age of 19, while also backing his own racing instincts. "I admire that I have that [youngest Brit] record and I've done well in every category to be in the position I'm in," he said. "But I haven't rang up Lewis (Hamilton), or gone out of my way to get advice from people I don't necessarily know. "I just try to be the best I can." What has been most impressive to McLaren is Norris' maturity and willingness to learn and adapt. "It was a different environment when Lewis came in [in 2007], we were winning races," claimed Brown. "But I think Lando will hit the ground running and be on it right away. He'll make mistakes along the way, but that's alright. We're confident in his abilities." "It's going to be a learning year for me," Lando told Sky Sports News. "Sometimes, you just have to take your time and learn. Hopefully it can be a big building step up to next year." Facing the press pack, Norris continued: "There's going to be things which I'm not going to be great at. There are going to be times when I make mistakes, 100 per cent. "It's very different when I get to F1, knowing that if I do make one small mistake, many more people are going to see it. There is more pressure and more scrutiny to not make silly mistakes. But it's going to happen, no driver is perfect.<doc-sep>​On Thursday, McLaren launched its 2019 Formula 1 car, which it calls the MCL34. McLaren adopted the MCL-prefixed naming scheme in 2017 with its MCL32, keeping the number progression from Ron Dennis-era MP4-prefixed names. It has retained this name format despite splitting with its former engine supplier Honda and jumping to Renault for 2018 onward. McLaren Like last year's car, the MCL34 is primarily Papaya Orange with blue highlights for contrast. In this case, blue encroaches from the rear wing onto the engine cover, where McLaren features its Brazilian petrochemical sponsor Petrobras. This company could reportedly back out of its sponsorship, with Brazil's Grand Premio reporting that an audit of Petrobras's advertising funds may cancel the deal. McLaren Like the troubled MCL33, the MCL34 features an unconventional nose with three nostrils, though this design is presumably not to blame for McLaren's aerodynamic troubles last season. The 2019 car will strangely do without much of a vertical fin on the engine cover, which is typically used to condition airflow for the rear wing. McLaren Driving the MCL34 will be former Renault and Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz Jr. and 2018 FIA Formula 2 runner-up Lando Norris, whose first- and third-placed competitors George Russell and Alexander Albon will also be racing in F1 this year, for Williams and STR-Honda respectively. McLaren's reserve driver is Sergio Sette Camara, who doesn't have an FIA Super License and thus cannot actually serve his role as a backup in the event that one of McLaren's race drivers suffer illness or injury. Motorsport reports that Team Principal Zak Brown has not denied the possibility of departed McLaren driver Fernando Alonso fulfilling the reserve role instead. McLaren The pair of McLaren MCL34s will be first seen in action on Monday when winter testing begins in Barcelona. There, they will be two of only four cars powered by a Renault engine, the others of course being the Renault works team's R.S.19 entries.<doc-sep>
1:05 McLaren reveal their brand new MCL34 car ahead of the 2019 F1 season. McLaren reveal their brand new MCL34 car ahead of the 2019 F1 season. McLaren have unveiled their new MCL34 car for the 2019 Formula 1 season. The car retains the historic papaya colour of last year, with added blue at the front and rear, with the team saying their second Renault-engined car features "substantial changes" from its disappointing predecessor. "We just want to see a good step forward from where we were last year," chief executive Zak Brown told Sky Sports News. "We didn't develop a very good race car, we've certainly got higher hopes for this year's car. But it's hard to tell until you get out there. The competition is only getting tougher in this sport." Although they finished sixth in last year's Constructors' Championship, an improvement of three places over their final year with Honda, McLaren admitted their car's performance fell a long way short of expectations with the second half of the season proving especially difficult. What's changing on the Formula 1 2019 cars? Find out more about Sky Sports F1 But the team and, who have undergone structural and personnel changes in the last 12 months, believe they have understood the reasons for their 2018 struggle and will avoid making the same mistakes in the future. "We're all committed, motivated and united in our ambition to return McLaren to competitiveness, and the MCL34 is only the start of this process," said Brown. "We have a fresh driver pairing, who together represent the new generation of Formula 1 talent, and are an integral part of the team and our collective effort to advance McLaren forward." McLaren begin new era McLaren start a season with an all-new line-up for the first time since 2007, with Carlos Sainz signed from Renault to partner British youngster Lando Norris. Sainz, still only 24, starts his fifth season of F1, while Norris becomes the latest graduate of McLaren's young driver programme after a stellar junior career and runner-up finish in F2 in 2018. "I've got a lot to live up to, the history of McLaren, there is a lot on my shoulders," said Norris at his first F1 car reveal. "I'll try to make a positive effect, and know that I'll have a longer career in F1 being at the age I am." Nuevo mono, nuevo coche, nueva temporada, nuevos objetivos. Hora de domar esta bestia! // New suits, new car, new season, new targets. Time to drive this beast! #F1 #MCL34 #roadtorecovery #myvalentine pic.twitter.com/ZVAH9r1jC6 — Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) February 14, 2019 After stints at Toro Rosso and Renault, Sainz effectively replaces countryman Fernando Alonso as the team's experienced driver and says he feel more prepared for an F1 season than ever. "I've been especially focused on my preparations this winter," he revealed. "New training routines, new diet, very specific simulator sessions, and extra time with the engineers to develop and align certain aspects of the car to my preferences. The factory has become my second home since I moved back to the UK and everyone in the team is moving in the same direction." Introducing the 2019 F1 cars However, Sainz said it would be "a big mistake to set our goals at this part of the year" before the new MCL34 has even run on track. What else is new at McLaren? McLaren's management and leadership structure have undergone numerous changes over the past 12 months. Under the leadership of Brown, former racing driver Gil de Ferran begins his first full season as sporting director, while Pat Fry has returned as engineering director. Andreas Seidl, the former Porsche sportscar boss, is joining in the role of managing director in May while the highly-respected James Key is scheduled join the team at some point in 2019 as technical director. "We're in a rebuilding process and it's going to be a journey," added Brown. Get the dedicated Sky Sports F1 channel - the exclusive home of all live F1 - for £18 a month in HD with no contract. Get Sky Sports F1.