The second car of 2012 was launched at the McLaren Technology Centre, with Jenson Button and new boy Sergio Pérez removing the covers on the new car. They seemed to get on perfectly well, joking around with each other as the launch progressed.

Speaking about the coming season, Pérez said: "I am fully aware of the steep slope ahead of me: it has already been an intense couple of weeks, getting to grips with a new team, meeting my engineers and mechanics, learning new ways of working and, of course, learning all about a brand new car – something I’ll need to do with just six days of on-track testing. It’s a big challenge."

And Button's also ready to improve on last year: "We were extremely strong throughout the whole of the 2012 season, but, for one reason or another, we couldn’t quite pull it all together to challenge for the championships. That’s something we want to address for 2013. I’ve seen just how closely everybody has been working together on this car, and I think we’ve got the basis for a very strong season."