A look at the new chargers unveiled for the 2016 F1 season...
Saturday 5 March 2016 10:56, UK
Marking their return to F1 as a fully-fledged manufacturer, Renault were the first team to reveal their new car for the 2016 season - although the RS16 is expected to be heavily revised again for the start of the season and the team have warned they may change their livery after testing. Jolyon Palmer, GP2 champion two years ago, debuts in 2016 and will partner Kevin Magnussen in an all-new driver line-up.
After two torrid seasons at the start of F1's new turbo era, the launch of Red Bull's new car signals the start of a new chapter for the world champions as they run Tag Heuer-branded Renault engines underneath what is expected to be one of the strongest aerodynamic designs on the grid. So far the team have only shown off their new 2016 livery, with the new RB12 to launch in Barcelona. Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat will continue to drive for the team in 2016 - which Christian Horner has forecast "will be a transitional year for us".
Williams became the first team to reveal their full 2016 car when they unexpectedly launched the FW38 three days ahead of testing. Bearing striking similarities to its predecessor, Williams are confident the new car will address their weakness around low-speed circuits with team boss Claire Williams declaring: "Only winning will ever be good enough."
Introducing the SF16-H, Ferrari's 2016 challenger. In a break from recent Ferrari tradition, the SF16-H's design features a push-rod front-wing suspension which is expected to improve tyre wear. The team won three races in 2015 and have been heavily tipped to challenge Mercedes for the title this season. In another striking change from last year, the new car also includes a white-coloured engine cover.
After their 'annus horribilis' in 2015, when they only outscored Manor, McLaren are optimistic that their new car, the MP4-31, will deliver a vast improvement in their on-track performances. But will that improvement amount to the two-second gain that Fernando Alonso, who will continue to partner Jenson Button, has forecast? The pressure is on both McLaren and engine partners Honda to rights the wrongs of 2015.
Will this be the car to deliver Lewis Hamilton a hat-trick of titles? After its predecessors won 32 of the last 38 F1 races, Mercedes' new W07 car has a lot to live up to. The car, given an early unofficial debut in a shakedown event at Silverstone prior to the start of winter testing, has been described a radical successor to the W06 as the world champions strive to ward off an anticipated challenge from Ferrari.
Newcomers Haas are the eleventh team on the grid in 2016 after joining the sport to become the first American team in F1 in 30 years. Driven by Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez, their maiden car is the product of a close working partnership with Ferrari, who have supplied the engine, transmission and suspension for the VF16, with Haas responsible for the chassis design.
Mercedes-powered Force India are looking to build on their best-ever finish of fifth place in the Constructors' Championship when the new F1 season starts. The new Force India car was revealed less than an hour before the start of pre-season testing in Barcelona.
Manor have switched from Ferrari to Mercedes power for 2016 as the team aim to score their first points since relaunching from the defunct Marussia outfit. The backmarkers are, along with Renault, one of only two teams to have changed their driver line-up from 2015 while the with the MRT05 is the outfit's first new car in two years.
Sauber launched their new car, the C35, ahead of the the second Barcelona test after running their 2015 car for the first four days of pre-season action. Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson will continue to drive for Sauber in 2016 as the Swiss outfit target the competiveness which eluded them last year.
Toro Rosso became the eleventh and final team on the 2016 grid to formally unveil their new car, the STR11, when they launched the STR11 at Barcelona. Although their STR10 chassis consistently impressed in 2015, it was frequently let down by an underpowered and unreliable Renault power unit. But this season Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz will be powered by a Ferrari engine which should deliver welcome track gains despite being a year old.
The first race of the 2016 F1 season, the Australian GP, is exclusively live on Sky Sports F1. The race in Melbourne starts at 5am on Sunday March 20.
