McLaren surprised fans last month with the early release of the design it will carry throughout the 2024 season.

However, the design was not on the new car.

That only broke cover today after the team unveiled the machine Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will steer throughout the coming campaign.

The MCL38 features a number of subtle differences to the design used to reveal the team’s 2024 livery.

The rear wing endplate and profile of the main plane is different, with a more pronounced curve to it.

There are also changes to the swaan neck, which operates the DRS flap.

hile the rear suspension will have to have been reworked given Mercedes has changed its gearbox casing versus that used last year, resulting in different mounting points.

At the front of the car, the front wing is also slightly different, while the sidepod inlets have been revised.

McLaren bosses Zak Brown and Andrea Stella have spoken confidently of the year ahead.

That stems from the progress made in the wind tunnel over the past 12 months and starkly contrasts the warnings the team issued this time a year ago.

A slow start to last year belied a team working feverishly behind the scenes to develop an upgrade package that debuted in Austria.

It transformed McLaren’s season and soon saw both Norris and Piastri receiving silverware.

According to Stella, that development trajectory has been maintained through the off-season.

It paints a positive picture for the year ahead as the Woking operation looks to build on the nine grand prix podiums last year – and Piastri’s pole and Sprint victory in Qatar.