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.

READ MORE: F1 Results Today: Lewis Hamilton STARS but shock team top the time sheets

READ MORE: F1 2025 Testing: Bahrain start times, schedule and TV channels

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.

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton hints at Ferrari 'MAGIC' ahead of F1 testing

McLaren reveal Lando Norris change

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.

READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo F1 RETURN verdict emerges

Related

More F1 news

Full News Feed

F1 Results Today: Lewis Hamilton takes first Ferrari podium as Kimi Antonelli claims historic win

• March 15, 2026 09:51

F1 Qualifying Results: Kimi Antonelli smashes pole record after George Russell Mercedes issues

• March 14, 2026 09:26

F1 Sprint Race Results: Russell made to work as Ferraris claim podiums and Mercedes star penalized

• March 14, 2026 05:00

'I'm not an idiot' - Max Verstappen's defiant response to poor starts

• 1 hour ago

Fernando Alonso forced to take hands off steering wheel during Chinese GP

• 3 hours ago

Ferrari F1 team brutally trolled by former boss

• Today 17:02