New Marussia MR02 Formula 1 car unveiled at Jerez

Marussia unveiled its latest Formula 1 car, the MR02, on the Jerez pits straight on the morning of the first winter test of the season.

The car is the first true product of the team's revamped technical structure, following its mid-2011 decision to split with Wirth Research and the all-CFD philosophy and to take design in-house using more traditional windtunnel techniques.

Former Benetton/Renault technical chief Pat Symonds also came on board as a consultant.

Those changes, plus the 2012 progress that took Marussia to the brink of beating Caterham to 10th place in the constructors' championship, meant plenty of optimism at the team going into the new campaign.

But on the eve of the first tests the team had to release lead driver Timo Glock for financial reasons. GP2 graduate Max Chilton is the only driver signed so far, with fellow rookie Luiz Razia heading the queue for the currently vacant second seat.

No deal has yet been done, though, and the team remains non-committal about who will drive at the test after Chilton's initial two-day stint.

2013 pre-season dates

Car launches

Team          Date 
Lotus         January 28 
McLaren       January 31 
Ferrari       February 1 
Force India   February 1
Sauber        February 2
Red Bull      February 3 
Mercedes      February 4 
Toro Rosso    February 4 
Caterham      February 5
Marussia      February 5

Williams      February 19

Testing

Venue         Date 
Jerez         5-8 February 
Barcelona     19-22 February 
Barcelona     28 February-3 March

Keep checking AUTOSPORT for the latest news from our reporters at every 2013 Formula 1 car launch, plus comprehensive galleries and in-depth technical analysis of the new cars