01/02/2012
NEWS STORY
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McLaren unveiled its 2012 contender, the MP4-27, at its Woking HQ this morning, 2011 championship runner-up Jenson Button describing the car as beautiful.
The presentation of the MP4-27 at the McLaren Technology Centre revealed a natural evolution of last year's six-race-winning car and underlined the message that the new season is very much one of growth through strength and continuity.
After finishing second in both the drivers' and constructors' championships in 2011, the team's aim for 2012 is to fight for both world titles from the very start of this year's campaign.
While the MP4-27 closely resembles last year's multiple race-winning car, the new 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 is the only team in F1 whose driver line-up consists of two world champions: Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. Between them, they have scored 22 grand prix victories for the team and are the strongest and most consistent driver line-up in the sport. Maintaining the partnership into a third successive season was merely a formality.
On the technical front, the engineering trio of Tim Goss (director of engineering), Paddy Lowe (technical director) and Neil Oatley (director of design and development programmes) once more remains at the forefront of the drawing office. For 2012, they will be joined by sporting director Sam Michael, whose arrival coincides with the re-organisation of our trackside personnel roster to ensure both growth and development within the group.
Away from the track, the team continues to develop, too: last year McLaren became the world's first carbon-neutral Formula 1 team, efficiently managing its carbon footprint and purchasing carbon credits to completely offset its emissions.
"With the regulations remaining relatively stable, we've really been able to focus on the detail with this year's car.," said Button. "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.
"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 that 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 that 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."
"The winter has been a great opportunity to recharge," added Lewis Hamilton. "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.
"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 2012 season will be an important one for us," said team boss Martin Whitmarsh, "having finished second in the constructors' championship for the past two seasons, we're determined to mount a sustained, hard challenge for both world titles.
"Our engineering team continues to develop and grow: while the key names who head the department are well known - Tim Goss, Paddy Lowe and Neil Oatley - it's the strength in depth within the department that continually impresses. I'm extremely proud of our efforts to invest in and recruit young graduate engineers and to develop and school them in the ways of Formula 1.
"We have a fantastically committed team of individuals, and MP4-27 is the fruit of their labours - it's a beautiful car, and one we feel is the perfect platform from which to launch our assault on the world championship. While there are clear visual changes to this year's car, there's greater change beneath the skin, with lots of fresh thinking applied to every major system. The car is pleasingly complete.
"I don't think we want for anything from our drivers, either: in Jenson and Lewis, I believe we have the very best line-up in Formula 1 - the perfect blend of experience, speed and aggression. They complement each other perfectly.
"For 2012, we are well aware that Red Bull remains a very powerful and capable operation, and that both Ferrari and Mercedes AMG are ramping up their operational capacity. We have no room to be complacent - what you see today only scratches the surface of what we're planning to deliver to the track both from an engineering and operational point of view throughout 2012.
"I'm pleased and confident that we've left no stone unturned in our quest for performance. Now, our focus invariably turns to the track as we evaluate MP4-27 ahead of the start of the 2012 season in Melbourne on March 18. These will be a fascinating three weeks."
Check out our gallery from today's launch, here.