Speaking at today's launch, McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh confirmed that Technical Director Paddy Lowe is still with the Woking outfit however, he was unable to say how much longer this might be the case.

Other than the Woking outfit's new car, one of the biggest talking points was the future of Lowe, who didn't attend the launch.

In the wake of Toto Wolff's shock defection to Mercedes, it was claimed that Lowe too was heading to Brackley, mooted by some as a replacement for Ross Brawn.

While McLaren refused to comment on the claims, Brawn himself muddied the waters when he said that he would be remaining at the helm of the German team but that if he left Lowe would replace him.

Speaking today, Whitmarsh insisted that Lowe is still part of the Woking team. "Paddy will be part of the team for another year," he told reporters before adding, "it's less certain beyond that. That is something that we will have some certainty on in the near future."

When asked why Lowe wasn't present at the launch, Whitmarsh said: "Clearly there is a lot of media interest and I think it is good that Paddy concentrates on doing his job. I don't think he wants to create embarrassment to his team or his colleagues, so on his own election he felt it not appropriate to be here."

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