McLaren seek new image in new era

Spain's double world champion Fernando Alonso and new British teammate Lewis Hamilton entertained a crowd of more than 100,000 locals by powering their F1 cars around a floodlit street circuit surrounding Valencia's futuristic Arts and Sciences complex.

In a show broadcast live on Spanish television, artistes from the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil then performed on stage before a barrage of fireworks lit up the night sky as the MP4-22 car was finally unveiled.

Singapore-born violinist Vanessa-Mae brought the proceedings to a close with a solo performance after midnight for a VIP audience including Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

"Today is really about not just showing the car and the drivers but more about our effort to practically demonstrate the commitment to Formula One," team boss Ron Dennis told reporters before the launch.

"Don't see it as just a glitzy way to reveal a car. People wanted a dynamic Formula One that reached out, this is our effort to satisfy that need."

Dennis said Mercedes-powered McLaren, who have a new title sponsor in telecoms giant Vodafone, had done analysis to determine how people perceived the team and recognised change was needed.

Among the findings were some negative perceptions which Dennis listed as being "cold, not particularly user-friendly and slightly aloof."

"We were surprised," Dennis said. "So we said, let's do something about it. We are trying to live and demonstrate that we are committed to helping people, mainly young people, aspire and to chase their dreams."

McLaren failed to win a race last season for the first time in a decade, but have high hopes of rectifying that this season with Alonso joining from Renault.