The 2024 F1 season is inching closer day by day and teams are gearing up rapidly in preparation of a new season. Naturally, as tradition goes, all teams will unveil their car or car liveries in an official launch event ahead of the season. Usually, all teams schedule their car/livery launch events in February, one after the other. So far, seven out of the ten F1 teams have revealed the launch dates of their 2024 challengers.
February Week 1 – Williams, Sauber, and Alpine
The first two teams to confirm their launch dates were Williams and Sauber (rebranded as Stake F1). Both teams will unveil their 2024 car/livery on February 5th. Following this double launch, Alpine will be launching its motorsport season on February 7th.
The French team will also unveil their World Endurance Championship car beside the F1 challenger in their official launch event on February 7th. The French team will run in the HyperCar class of the WEC in 2024 with former Haas driver Mick Schumacher, as part of their line-up.
February Week 2 – Aston Martin, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull
Aston Martin is the next team that has confirmed their launch date for February 12th. The Silverstone-based team teased its date with a fan contest for some giveaways and a prize invitation for the event. While Aston Martin moved to its new factory midway last year, they will unveil the AMR24 in the new facility.
Just a day later on February 13, the scarlet red cars will see the light of day in Maranello. Ferrari confirmed their car launch date last month to be on Valentine’s Day Eve. While there have been a lot of rumors about its 2024 challenger being 95% new and along the lines of Red Bull, things will get clear on February 13th.
Ferrari will also do a short shakedown of the new 2024 car at their test track in Fiorano on launch day. Just like last year, it could be a fun atmosphere to see Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz hit the track in the new challenger.
Following the Scuderia, Mercedes will launch the W15 on Valentine’s Day – February 14th. Just like last year, the Brackley team is set to be ambitious on their brand new 2024 challenger and get back to the front. Many speculate the W15 to be completely brand new with no carryover of the old zero pod concept.
While Mercedes hopes that the W15 will enable them to fight Red Bull, the Austrian outfit is best prepared to tackle this challenge. Right after the Silver Arrows’ launch, Red Bull will be launching their 2024 car on February 15th. According to insider news from the Milton Keynes camp, the RB20 may be an “extremely fast car”.
Thus, February 15 may provide a peek at the 2024 championship-winning car, as Red Bull sim driver Jake Dennis has proclaimed. With all these launch dates confirmed, only three teams are remaining to mark their car launches for the 2024 season.
What is up with McLaren, Haas, and AlphaTauri’s F1 car launch dates?
McLaren have started their marketing efforts to kickstart the new F1 season. The McLaren Instagram page suddenly deleted and cleared all of its past posts on January 15th. It felt like a clean slate before they posted a couple of reels under the theme “Whatever It Takes”.
This caught the attention of fans, with a lot of chatter on social media about what the Woking team is up to. One of the reels consisted of a montage of their 2023 season. It showcased how they bounced back from the bottom of the grid, pointing toward a better start.
While the “Whatever It Takes” dialogue seems to be an inspiration from Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame; McLaren is probably aiming at that kind of a blockbuster performance level in 2024. There are outside chances that they may be a threat to Red Bull’s dominance.
For the time being, they have not confirmed their launch date. But it may happen during the second week besides its midfield rivals and Red Bull. At least their marketing strategy is pointing towards a strong and positive vibe at Woking.
About Haas, they have been facing their set of troubles with Guenther Steiner’s sudden exit. After Steiner, Ayao Komatsu has taken the reign of the team, as the team principal. Gene Haas has been vocal about finishing better this season and burying their past performance struggles. So, as their restructuring carries on, their car launch date may soon get a confirmation.
AlphaTauri may not be facing any structural overhaul but certainly is undergoing a rebrand (rumors saying Racing Bulls) for 2024. Helmut Marko and other Red Bull officials had confirmed the rebranding and greater cooperation of the team with the Milton Keynes outfit. So, many expect the 2024 car of the Faenza team to be closer in concept to RBR. They are yet to confirm their launch dates.
So, which team’s car launch are you most excited about? Mark your calendars as February 2024 is going to be a busy month with all car launches.
