Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team unveiled its 2012 car, the MP4-27.

So that’s why Lewis Hamilton couldn’t make it to the court to testify for Adrian Sutil, who got a suspended jail sentence as a result of his Shanghai nightclub brawl.

Anyway, the MP4-27, it’s an evolution of the last year’s car and the good news is the ugly nose which we were anticipating to see on every new F1 car after seeing what Caterham has done to their car, is nowhere to be found.

As for the major technical changes, the 2012 chassis has been substantially revised from the ground-up, with all major systems updated or re-designed for the new season. The most evident visual differences include more tightly waisted rear bodywork, developed to improve flow to the rear of the car, and a revised cooling system, which re-directs the gearbox oil-cooler. Last year’s U-shaped sidepods have also been re-designed – a legacy of the FIA’s new exhaust regulations that redefine the shape of the rear bodywork.

McLaren still remains loyal to the Silver livery garnished with Vodafone red, while the new Pirelli tires alter the appearance of the car a bit.

Lewis Hamilton: “The winter has been a great opportunity to recharge – I got away into the mountains, spent a lot of time hiking and running, improving my fitness and starting to prepare for the new year. It’s always great to get away from everything; change the scenery. And what’s great about Formula 1 is that you start each season with the baseline completely reset – everybody starts again from zero – and that always makes me so hungry.”

Jensen Button: “With the regulations remaining relatively stable, we’ve really been able to focus on the detail with this year’s car. I still think we had a very fast package last year – it was very strong in certain areas – and our race pace was almost always fantastic, but we’re hoping for a further step forwards in 2012. With Mercedes-Benz, I think we also had the best overall engine and KERS Hybrid package in the pitlane.”