After a reasonably quiet couple of weeks, teams have started to emerge from their winter hibernation with announcements of their launch dates, and what we may expect from them in the upcoming pre-season tests. The 2013 challengers will be revealed at various locations across the globe, before being put into action at three separate test sessions in Spain.

F1 team launches

The first date for your diary comes from McLaren, who are getting their launch in nice and early, on the last day of January. Other teams follow, revealing their 2013 cars just ahead of the testing action in Jerez, which kicks off on the 5th February.

Williams this week confirmed they would not be launching the FW35 until midway through February, and have opted to run last season's car in a new livery at the first Jerez test. Whether this will put them at a disadvantage or not remains to be seen, but it certainly isn't the ideal start to their 2013 campaign.

F1 test schedule

Twelve days of running, across three sessions, on two different tracks should give teams ample opportunity to try new developments they've discovered over the winter. The stability within the regulations from 2012 to the new season should mean the cars are a continuation of the ones that finished in Brazil, and thus the fastest teams will likely still be fast.

You can rarely tell an awful lot from testing in terms of pace, but there is plenty to be assessed in terms of reliability, and surprising design directions.

As ever, F1Minute and Sidepodcast will be here to keep abreast of all the goings on from launches and test sessions. Join us in anticipation as the 2013 pre-season starts to roll into action.