McLaren announce driver SWITCH ahead of testing as release confirmed

McLaren have revealed a bold driver change ahead of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain this week.

Testing ahead of the new season is set to begin at Bahrain International Circuit on Wednesday, with teams and their drivers having three days to put their new machinery through its paces.

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Testing often offers an indication of where teams are at heading into the season opener, which will be held in Australia this year.

However, having said that, any timings must also be taken with a pinch of salt, with some teams occasionally hiding their pace, or 'sandbagging' to not show their true hand to their rivals before it is necessary.

Having started slowly, McLaren ended the season as constructors' champions in 2024. However, the team and their two drivers — Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri — will all be hoping they can start the 2025 campaign with the same ferocity that they ended last year with.

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McLaren reveal Lando Norris change

With teams only allowed to use one car at a time in pre-season testing, Norris and Piastri are set to share responsibilities in Bahrain this week.

However, Norris will be sporting a new look, it has been revealed, with McLaren announcing he will wear a different helmet over the three days, ditching his fluro yellow color for a more stealthy look.

Dark mode for testing 🖤 pic.twitter.com/uEIVli7jm7

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) February 24, 2025

Norris also touched on the change via his official Facebook page, posting the following message accompanying more images of his new lid.

"Celebrating the .exe collection with a special helmet I'll be wearing this week at testing," the McLaren driver wrote.

In a later post, Norris revealed that a mini version of the helmet was available to purchase via his own official store.

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