Never judge a book by its cover and never judge the speed of a Formula 1 car by its looks. That’s how the old saying goes, doesn’t it? Something like that, anyway.

Never judge a book by its cover and never judge the speed of a Formula 1 car by its looks. That’s how the old saying goes, doesn’t it? Something like that, anyway.

Which brings us to the annual cover-throwing, bulb-flashing cricus of pre-season car launches. McLaren were the first major team to unveil their 2012 car today, and with it a first glimpse of what we can expect in terms of aesthetics from the front runners. One that they hope will bring with it the constructors’ title and another drivers’ crown for either Lewis Hamilton or Jenson Button.

Thankfully, it turns out the car is not quite as bulky and ugly as the Caterham, which was launched last week to a few groans, and appears more in the mould of the 2011 model. Changes have been made to the side pods because of this year’s blown diffuser ban, but apart from a few other exterior minor tweaks, that’s about it.

Disappointed? People shouldn’t be, according to McLaren’s technical director Paddy Lowe, because the more notable changes cannot be seen from the outside.

“This car in many ways looks quite similar but underneath [there is] a great deal of change.  Every single part has been assessed, optimised for weight, stiffness, performance in any other respect,” he said at the launch.

“And when you add all of that up you get a car that’s net quicker, that’s the name of the game. So in every area the teams are tasked to find that one per cent, two per cent because we’re looking for that total.”

For the moment, then, all we can do is judge it by looks. And if you compare it to the Caterham, which has a front nose more akin to Steve Bruce, McLaren’s latest number is an  Angelina Jolie.

Red Bull and Ferrari are to unveil theirs over the next week ahead of testing as we get an early idea as to who is going to be the team to beat in 2012.

While it is about beauty now, we’ll soon see who has the brains as well. And because of that, March cannot come around soon enough.

Two years ago, I wrote that if Jenson Button could follow up his 2009 triumph with another world title, he would become a world beater. And after watching Sebastian Vettel win two consecutive championships, I think it is safe to say the German has done just that.

Many will point to the excellent car he’s had as the main reason for triumph. Clearly it is important, but Vettel has this incredible talent that puts him ahead of the rest of the field. His obsession with picking up pole positions and even fastest laps drives him to a higher level. The daring move against Button at the beginning of last weekend’s Japan Grand Prix shows a sign of ruthlessness.

Crucially, his ability to pull out a faster lap under pressure – almost at the click of a finger – is mesmiring. He has dominated from start to finish in a fashion not seen since Michael Schumacher and pulls away from the pack with so much ease it is as if he is racing a series of milk floats. While Damon Hill argues that Vettel will struggle to beat his fellow countryman’s record of seven world titles, I believe he can.

Despite all this, Button has been quite exceptional himself this season. He is driving even better than at any point in his career – including that 2009 title win – and appears to be getting the better of teammate Lewis Hamilton.

And while this season may be over in terms of winning the championship, the silver medal is very much up for grabs. When you’re battling it out against someone of Vettel’s ability, there’s very little shame in a second-place finish.

Onto South Korea we go. Vettel will look to finish the season as he started it. Button will be looking for momentum ahead of next season. If anyone believes this season is heading for a quiet finish, think again.