McLaren unveils new carposted in F101 | 02 | 2012
McLAREN TODAY BECAME the first of the leading teams to unveils its 2012 Formula One race car, the MP4-27, at its Woking HQ.
The Mercedes-powered car which the team hopes will return it to championship-winning ways, will again be driven by Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. Last year the pair won six grands prix.
"I'm very excited," Button, runner-up in last year's championships and who will drive the car first in Spain next week, said during the launch. "This is the moment we see how hard we have all been working. It's a very exciting day.
"These guys have been flat out since we finished racing in 2011 on improving the car as much as they could in the simulator and I'm looking forward to getting out in it at Jerez next week.
"I am sure everyone is apprehensive when you start testing and I cannot wait to jump in the car.
“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.
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"With Mercedes-Benz, I think we also had the best overall engine and KERS Hybrid package in the pitlane.
“We were also able to continuously develop throughout the year to match Red Bull – and that shows that we have the knowledge, effort and resources to sustain our efforts across the course of a whole season, which can be crucial.
“I know the whole team is extremely proud of the MP4-27. It may look like a direct evolution of last year’s car, but we’ve analysed every area of performance over the winter and the whole car has benefited from lots of fresh thinking and new ideas in every area. I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel in Spain next week.
“I know everyone will be watching us very closely to see what progress we make during the pre-season tests, but I genuinely believe we have every reason to feel optimistic about the progress we’ve made and our competitiveness this year."
And Hamilton, the 2008 world champ, added: "I think it is fantastic. It's great to be here after a great winter. Seeing hard work going into building this car is inspiring.
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"It is most refined-looking car we have had for some time so we are looking forward to getting back in it.
"“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.
“I’ve been keenly following the development of MP4-27 over the winter and I’ve been really encouraged by the results and the data that the engineers have been showing me.
"I think we already had a very strong base to build upon: Jenson and I won six races with MP4-26 last year and I think we’ve been able to retain all the strengths and the reliability of that design while also incorporating lots of improvements and new ideas into the new car.
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“Of course, the biggest changes for 2012 are the modifications to the exhaust regulations – that will reduce the downforce and grip that we had last year, but it just puts the emphasis on the designers to try and claw some of that back in other areas.
“I get the feeling the MP4-27 is going to feel very new and exciting when we get to drive it for the first time.”"
The team said the MP4-27 chassis — which resembles the 2011 machine — has been substantially revised, with all major systems updated or redesigned for the new season.
The most immediately noticeable differences are a tightly waisted rear bodywork and a revised cooling system. The U-shaped sidepods used last year have also been redesigned to adapt to the FIA's new exhaust regulations.
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Jim McGill