McLaren filled with 'excitement and anticipation' - de Ferran

McLaren Sporting Director Gil de Ferran says the collaborative effort that has delivered the team's MCL34 has left the Woking-based outfit with a feeling of excitement for the season ahead.

McLaren has undergone a period of transition since last summer following the disappointing results that marked the first half of its 2018 season?

With a restructuring in the works, the team approached the conception of its 2019 car with a blend of humility and determination, a process that also revived McLaren's vitality according to de Ferran.

• Launch Gallery: McLaren MCL34

"The feeling within the team is incredible. There is a lot of excitement and anticipation," said the Brazilian at the team's launch on Thursday.

"If I cast my mind back six months to when I joined the team and being in the trenches and now seeing the car in its full glory is an incredible feeling.

"It is a beautiful piece of art. It depicts very well all the capabilities McLaren has in terms of craftsmanship and engineering."

De Ferran underlined the team's honest approach to the task of pulling itself up the grid, insisting it represented a true concerted effort from every member of McLaren.

"The way we tackled it was to recognise all the challenges we had and to continue to do that, and the way to do that is to focus on the job at hand.

"We focused a lot on our preparations towards this year, so I think we're ready.

"We set a schedule of what we needed to accomplish by when and that goes forward a few years into the future.

"The key point is we have tried to come together as a team to collaborate better and to meet every challenge we had in the programme - and there are a lot. We are excited to see the car hit the track and there is the feeling of anticipation.

"The key thing is to be humble, focus on the job in front of you, and things will take care of themselves."

While a sense of revival and optimism permeates through Woking, new recruit Carlos Sainz - the man who replaces Fernando Alonso as the outfit's experienced racer - is keeping the enthusiasm in check by abstaining from setting any targets, at least for now.

"It would be a big mistake to set ourselves goals at this point, we have set our goals to be better prepared," the 24-year-old said.

"Hopefully that paid off. You can see everyone is excited and has put a lot of hard work into it. Now we have to go testing and see where the car is.

"I feel very prepared for the season, The car is ready. We could go testing today if we wanted, which is a good step in preparation and now it is time to try and keep improving all the season."

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