McLaren F1 fires up the MCL38 for the first time

With the 2024 Formula 1 season now just weeks away, fans are looking ahead to some of their favorite sounds in the world.

The sounds of 20 power units roaring to life on the grid.

McLaren gave those fans a taste of what to expect on Tuesday, sharing both audio and video of the team firing up the MCL38 — their challenger for the 2024 F1 season — for the first time at the team’s factory.

The team first shared an audio clip of the MCL38 roaring to life, along with the tagline “Whatever It Takes,” which seems to be McLaren’s slogan for the 2024 season:

McLaren then shared a video clip of the moment and various team members, including CEO Zak Brown, could be seen observing the moment:

Piers Thynne, the COO of McLaren F1, shared this statement on the team’s website:

“I am delighted to say that we have successfully fired-up the MCL38 for the first time. The first fire-up is a key milestone in car build, which we have successfully achieved ahead of plan. This is a significant moment for each and every person in the factory and a testament to our quality of teamwork and collaboration. It’s a proud moment for everyone in the team and the culmination of a lot of hard work from all of our people.

“I would like to thank everyone for their continued efforts and hard work, fire-up is confirmation that we’re on track and that everything is working. We now need to keep the momentum going with total focus and continued collaboration towards on-track running.”

McLaren already shared their livery for the 2024 season, which prominently displays the trademark papaya orange, but also pays tribute to their history with chrome numbers for both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

The team struggled at the start of the 2023 campaign, but rebounded to march up the Constructors’ standings for a fourth-place finish. Now McLaren fans are hoping that what they heard on Tuesday is the start of an even better finish in 2024.