Formula One teams have rejected Liberty Media’s plans for a joint 2019 car launch event. Earlier, reports in the German and British media informed that instead of letting every team reveal their new cars separately, Formula 1 rights holder Liberty Media wanted a big, joint event to take place ahead of the start of next season. Auto Motor und Sport reports: “The teams rejected the proposal because they did not want to share attention with the competition.”
As a result, F1 teams are announcing separate launch events for the days immediately prior to the start of official winter testing in mid February. But most are expecting to simply reveal photos online. Correspondent Tobias Gruner claims most of the 2019 cars “will only be seen in detail in Barcelona”. Racing Point, the team formerly known as Force India, is one exception, opting for new team owner Lawrence Stroll’s native Canada for a 2019 launch, yet Tobias Gruner adds that the 2019 car will not be on show, rather “a new livery on the previous car”.
Scuderia Ferrari, who will be looking to finally overhaul Mercedes at the top of the Formula 1 tree, will be revealing their 2019 challenger on February 15. That is just three days before the first pre-season test gets underway at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.
New aerodynamic rules designed to aid overtaking mean that the new 2019 cars will look different to their predecessors – particularly at the front of the car – for the new season, as explained in the video above. In keeping with recent tradition, most teams look set to reveal their challengers in the week before testing begins at Barcelona on February 18.
Toro Rosso are currently scheduled to kick off ‘launch week’ on Monday February 11 with what looks to be an online reveal of their new STR14. Renault have selected February 12, for an event at their Enstone base in Oxfordshire. Last year’s fourth-place championship finishers are set to have external expectations heightened this year by the arrival of seven-time race winner Daniel Ricciardo to partner Nico Hulkenberg. It’s a Valentine’s Day reveal for McLaren, who enter their second season with Renault engines hoping for a big improvements from the new MCL34.
A handful of teams usually wait until the first morning of pre-season testing to show off their cars to the media and Sauber have selected the hour before the track action begins on February 18 (7.20am GMT) at the Circuit de Catalunya to do just that.
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