Formula 2 race winner Oliver Rowland has joined Williams as the young test driver for the 2018 season alongside reserve and development driver Robert Kubica.

Though older than both race drivers, Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin, the Briton joins to fulfil criteria that all teams must run drivers with no more than two Grands Prix of experience for at least two of the in-season test days.

Also Read:

• Kubica satisfied with recent career progress despite missing F1 seat
• Williams reveals images of FW41 at launch in London
• Aitken and Markelov earn F1 test roles with Renault

Also part of the Renault development program, Rowland's success in F2 and status as a former Formula Renault 3.5 champion means he comfortably meets the stricter superlicence system which awards points based on results in other series.

"I am immensely proud to be joining Williams as its official young driver," the Briton said. "It’s a fantastic opportunity for me and I will be working as hard as I possibly can to help them develop the car this season."

His focus will be on simulator work but could well hit the track in Barcelona during the eight days of pre-season running before later appearances in-season with tests planned again in Spain in May and in Hungary in August. 

Lewis Hamilton believes the significant input from himself and Valtteri Bottas means the 2018 Mercedes "irons out the creases" of its predecessor.

Unveiled at a shakedown and launch event at Silverstone, the new W09 on the surface looks almost identical to the machine which won both championships last year despite being considered a "diva" for its unpredictability.

However, with an overhauled engine and minor changes such as an increase in the rake angle, a design feature Red Bull has pioneered by raising the back of the car, the world champion believes it will be a much better package.

"I'm really hopeful that this year we've ironed out a lot of the creases. There's a different aerodynamic characteristic this year compared to last year," he told the media gathered at the British racetrack.

"We've taken some of the good from last year, but there were circuits that we went to where we weren't that strong, so hopefully we've found a compromise which will favour a majority of the Grand Prix circuits."

Also Read:

• Wolff sure new Hamilton contract with Mercedes "a matter of time"

The 33-year-old also talked up the joint effort by himself and his teammate Bottas into identifying and solving the weaknesses.

"It's a car that we both pushed and developed through the year last year," he claimed. "So what we see today is an evolution of both of our driving DNA fused into one and that can only bode well for the team."

Hamilton was keen to emphasise it's a car that still very much suits him, however: "It's definitely not moved away from me. I'm very, very close to my engineers, so I'm very much on top of that," he added.

Thursday was the first time the Briton has seen the W09 completed in the flesh and though Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff reiterated a desire to take a "chainsaw" to the Halo, Hamilton, who described last year's season finale as the "last race with good looking cars", seemed content.

"It's a work of art and it's really just incredible to see," he stated. "I just walked into the garage now and they took the cover off and I was staring at it. How did they do that?"

Sebastian Vettel claims he is not "worried" about the strength of his and Ferrari's rivals but is taking his time before making any judgements.

On Thursday, the Scuderia and Mercedes both unveiled their newest creations in launches at Maranello and Silverstone respectively, with the two teams expected to fight it out for the 2018 Formula 1 title.

Both cars have followed a pattern of evolution rather than overhaul in terms of their design and, looking at his own SF71H at least, the four-time world champion is confident of building on the strong progress Ferrari made last year.

“Well, I think we always have some positive expectation,” he said. “Work on this started quite early during last season to look after this year’s car and this is the result.

"We’ve worked very hard and we think in the right way," Vettel continued. “The next few weeks will be very important to understand if all the things we’ve thought of start making sense.

“We’re confident the car will be good to drive and I can’t wait to get a feel.”

Also Read:

• Ferrari chairman claims atmosphere is "too relaxed" at Maranello ahead of 2018 season
• Vettel confident Ferrari has "learnt our lessons" from 2017

The German doesn't expect the Italian team to go into the new season as favourites, however, claiming "Mercedes remains the reference", and as for the likes of Red Bull, who revealed the RB14 at the start of the week, Vettel remained calm.

"It's still difficult to judge. The quality and angle of the photos plays a big role, so I will only form a first judgement in the tests," he stated. "But so far I can say that I have not seen anything in the others that makes me worried." 

Hot on the heels of world champion's Mercedes, their main rivals for the 2018 title Ferrari have launched their new car, the SF71H, at Maranello.

Last year, the Scuderia was the revelation using the new design rules to close up on the dominant Silver Arrows with Sebastian Vettel claiming five victories only for a difficult run of races to end his championship hopes.

This season is about learning from those errors and continuing the upward trend and the new Prancing Horse proves that as more of an evolution from its predecessor which many other teams have turned to in their designs.

The biggest change is to the livery with a return to the full scarlet red of the past and ongoing development of the bargeboards and sidepod vanes which all teams have admitted are a big area for improvements this year.

Just like last year, Vettel will have Kimi Raikkonen alongside him in a line-up entering its fourth year, though the Finn will be under pressure to challenge his German teammate after struggling at times in 2017.

McLaren executive director Zak Brown says the decision to bring back the papaya orange livery on the new MCL33 is part of the "deeper engagement" he wants to build with fans.

Last year saw the Woking outfit return to their traditional colour as used by founder Bruce McLaren on his early cars, but the shade was orange was not quite the same as that the New Zealander painted his machines.

For 2018, that has been put right with papaya and blue being used in a variation of the livery seen on Fernando Alonso's IndyCar at Indianapolis and it was a move which was about more than just history.

"Our return to a papaya orange livery for this year wasn’t simply an emotional decision; it demonstrates that we are listening to our fans, building deeper engagement with them and the F1 community as a whole," Brown claimed.

"We want McLaren to earn respect on and off the track and we want to show everyone what makes this team special, whether that’s our fans or our partners – there’s room for more on our journey."

McLaren head into this year with increased expectations after dropping Honda's underperforming engine in favour of the same Renault unit as used by Red Bull, which the team hope can draw them level with their rivals from Milton Keynes.

“The design, engineering and aerodynamic departments have done an incredible job delivering a new car with a new power unit in an extremely short timeframe," racing director Eric Boullier commented.

"We are humble about the challenge ahead, but feel we’ve prepared well, have a solid package that we can build upon and exploit as the season progresses and have two excellent drivers who will make the difference in races.

“At McLaren, we are all racers – pure and simple. We’re going to come out pushing, and we’re going to be racing as hard as ever,” the Frenchman concluded.

For the second day in a row, a Formula 1 team has seen their car launch plans hit after a photo of the new McLaren emerged on Twitter.

The British team was completing a shakedown/ filming day with the MCL33 in Spain ahead of the official unveiling on Friday and has continually teased a return to the 'papaya' shade of orange via social media.

That has now been confirmed by the image which sees the covers being blown up as the car emerges from the back of a truck revealing the new livery underneath.

Though not all the car is visible, an interesting sidepod structure much different to those seen so far is and hints that McLaren could have gone radical with their latest design.

A change from Honda to Renault power for 2018 also means the MCL33 has a lot of hype to live upto with some predicting even a first race win since 2012 is possible.

All will be revealed tomorrow.

While excited, double Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso admits he is "apprehensive" as he waits to see just how competitive the new McLaren MCL33 will be.

The 2018 car was revealed for the first time on Friday in an online launch but was spotted leaving the Navarra circuit in Spain on Wednesday, where it had been completed a filming day/ shakedown.

Ahead of the new campaign, expectations have been raised but also tempered by those within the Woking outfit as a change from Honda to Renault engines, McLaren hope will see them join the battle at the front.

"I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of an F1 car for the first time in three months," Alonso, who will also compete in the WEC this year, said ahead of the launch.

“Looking at our new car, I feel incredibly excited – but also apprehensive. I know just how important this car is to the team, and I just hope that it delivers in the way we all want it to.

“If we’re able to develop the key strengths of last year’s chassis and marry it to an improved Renault power unit, then I think we’ll be able to take a step forwards," he added.

"The car certainly looks very neat and well thought-out, and I think the new colour looks really great; really eye-catching. I just want to get behind the wheel now!"

Also Read:

• Mercedes wary of McLaren, Renault threat in 2018
• Alonso maintaining earlier prediction of McLaren race wins in 2018
• Honda troubles have created a "united" McLaren, Alonso claims

Teammate Stoffel Vandoorne also acknowledged the pressure McLaren is under to perform this season and knows the upcoming eight days of testing in Barcelona are crucial to getting off on the right foot.

"I really hope we can start the season with a stable platform that we’re able to develop quickly and easily," he said. "It would be great to have a smooth few weeks of winter testing and to go to Australia feeling confident about the year ahead.

"I’m fit and focused, but I’m also relaxed because I think we’ve had a very productive winter and have designed a very capable new car. I can’t wait to put it to the test!”

Toro Rosso hailed a "perfect" shakedown of their new Honda-powered STR13 after completing 100km at a soggy Misano on Wednesday.

Despite setting a launch date of Monday, the Italian team was the third to hit the track with their 2018 car and, predictability, couldn't avoid an image being leaked online before posting their own later.

After three difficult seasons back in Formula 1 with McLaren, much of the emphasis has been on engine supplier Honda and whether they can cure the reliability problems and the lack of performance compared to their rivals.

Based on their first day on the track, however, early signals are good.

“Everything ran smoothly and according to plan,” a spokesman commented. “We finished the programme without any issues and ahead of schedule. Today was a perfect day.”

A more complete picture of Honda's situation is likely to emerge next week when pre-season testing begins for real in Barcelona.

McLaren has become the eighth team to launch their 2018 car, the MCL33, doing so via social media on Friday.

After a return to the historical racing colour of orange last year, that transition is now complete with the new machine featuring the papaya shade which adorned founder Bruce McLaren's early racers and was used last year on Fernando Alonso's IndyCar.

This season also marks what the Woking outfit will be a return to where they belong, fighting towards the front, after ditching engine partner Honda following three troubled years and teaming up with Renault for the first time ever.

Also Read:

• McLaren and Petrobras confirm partnership from 2019
• Mercedes wary of potential McLaren, Renault threat in 2018
• Promise of Renault engine gains leave McLaren upbeat

Enigmatic double world champion Alonso has stayed on to continue leading McLaren's push for a first win since 2012 and the first championship in a decade, with certainly the prior of those goals one which could be in sight.

The Spaniard will also be combining his Formula 1 duties with the World Endurance Championship after signing a deal with Toyota, a venture will include a run at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne will continue for a second year and will look to build on a stronger latter half of his rookie season and show the potential which many know he has after a highly successful junior career.

Mercedes has hit the track with its new car, the W09, ahead of the official launch at Silverstone later on Thursday.

Valtteri Bottas was given the privilege of being the first behind the wheel as the world champion's complete a 100km filming day as a shakedown ahead of the first pre-season test in Barcelona, which begins on Monday.

Defending drivers' champion Lewis Hamilton will also get to sample the W09 at the British circuit before the car is officially presented in front of the media.

Also Read:

• Mercedes include Renault and McLaren as potential 2018 threats

With four consecutive double championships to their name, the new Mercedes has a lot of pressure on its shoulder to continue that success.

Last year, it was the strength of the German manufacturer's engine which again proved decisive as its performance and reliability which helped keep them ahead of a rejuvenated Ferrari.

For 2018, a heavily revised power unit is being introduced with even more power and efficiency but the Brackley-based team hope it is coupled with a more consistent chassis after last year's car was nicknamed a 'diva' for its unpredictability.

First impressions are of a car which bears plenty of similarities to its predecessor but more details are likely to be revealed as more images are released.