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McLaren are officially launching their 2026 season TODAY (Monday, February 9), with the MCL40 being unveiled in Bahrain.
The world champions have already taken their new car out onto the track, at the private shakedown in Barcelona last month, where McLaren used a one-off livery as to hide the design that they will be using for the 2026 season.
But as F1 prepares for the first of two official tests in Bahrain ahead of the season getting underway, McLaren will take to the Bahrain International Circuit slightly early in order to present their car to audiences around the world.
With new regulations sweeping into the sport, McLaren are hoping that the MCL40 can help them to once again compete for titles, having achieved their first world championship double since 1998 in 2025, with Brit Lando Norris wrapping up the drivers’ title.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton and Kim Kardashian GO PUBLIC
McLaren are one of the last teams to unveil their official design for 2026, and they will be launching their season at the Bahrain International Circuit on Monday, February 9 at 3pm GMT.
That’s 4pm Central European Time (CET), or 10am Eastern Time, 7am Pacific and 9am Central.
How to watch McLaren F1 car launch live
You can watch McLaren’s 2026 season launch right here on GPFans, with the link below set to go live at 3pm GMT on Monday February 9.
Alternatively, you can catch all the action from the car launch on McLaren’s social media channels, where they will be posting highlights of the event and, of course, pictures of the newly-released MCL40.
When are the 2026 F1 car launches?
| Team | Location | Date | How to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Bull | Detroit, USA | January 15 | Red Bull Racing website, YouTube |
| Racing Bulls | Detroit, USA | January 15 | Red Bull Racing website, YouTube |
| Haas | Online | January 19 | Haas F1 website and social pages |
| Audi | Berlin, Germany | January 20 | YouTube, Audi social channels |
| Ferrari | Maranello, Italy | January 23 | YouTube, Ferrari social media pages |
| Alpine | Barcelona, Spain | January 23 | YouTube, Alpine social media pages |
| Mercedes | Online | February 2 | Mercedes social channels |
| Williams | Grove | February 3 | Williams social channels |
| Cadillac | Santa Clara, USA | February 8 | Super Bowl Halftime show & Cadillac F1 socials |
| Aston Martin | TBC | February 9 | Aston Martin’s TikTok account |
| McLaren | Bahrain and Online | February 9 | McLaren’s YouTube channel |
When does the 2026 F1 season start?
The 2026 F1 season gets underway on Friday, March 6, at the Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.
FP1 will mark the first session of the season at 12:30pm local time (1:30am GMT), while qualifying will get underway on Saturday, March 7 at 4pm local time (5am GMT). Lights out for the first grand prix of the year is at 3pm local time (4am GMT).
Before the F1 season kicks off, two lots of three-day tests will take place in Bahrain. The first of which will occur from Wednesday, February 11 until Friday, February 13. The second of the Bahrain tests takes place Wednesday, February 18 until Friday, February 20.
READ MORE: Alonso targeted for sensational McLaren return
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