Local hero Fernando Alonso will be the centre of attention when Formula One’s pre-season testing starts up in southern Spain today but the McLaren driver has done his best to lower expectations.

As the Spaniard warned fans when the new McLaren-Honda MP4-30 was unveiled on Thursday, there are sure to be problems between now and the season-opener in Australia on March 15.

McLaren are starting a new era with Honda, after two decades with Mercedes, and much of the paddock buzz when the cars get out on track in Jerez will focus on how the new Japanese power unit performs.

“Our first target will be to learn the maximum from the car at the pre-season tests, understand the package, and extract as much performance as possible,” said double world champion Alonso.

“That won’t be easy or trouble-free, but we’re ready for that,” added the man who left McLaren under a cloud of controversy in 2007 and returns after five frequently frustrating years at Ferrari.

Renault and Ferrari will also be looking for signs that they have closed the gap to Mercedes after being outperformed in the first year of the V6 turbo hybrids.

Last year’s ugly cars are history, with those seen so far testifying to the success of rule changes to make them more aesthetically pleasing.