An “enhanced” car for McLaren in Abu Dhabi?
McLaren might test an improved version of its MP4-29 on the Friday of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, featuring some aerodynamic upgrades in anticipation of the next season.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will mark the end of the F1 season but also the end of the historic partnership between McLaren and Mercedes, which began in 1995. The German engine manufacturer will be replaced by Honda, returning to the premier discipline after a 6-year absence, to reforge the union that had reigned over the paddock between 1988 and 1991.
In order to best prepare for this transition, McLaren has already built a development car to facilitate the integration process of Honda’s hybrid turbo V6 engine. “To ensure that we are ready for the launch of the new cars in 2015, we decided to build a development car because Honda needs to verify multiple systems. We also need to check the information transfer between the track and Woking and between the track and Japan. Therefore, to avoid having to focus too much on these things during winter testing, we decided to run a development car,” explained Eric Boullier a month ago on the official F1 site.
« At the design level of the [development] car, it will be very similar to [the 2014 car]. We don’t want to throw money away in areas where it’s not necessary. We just need to ensure that certain technical options for next year are already on the car. » This car should even run in Abu Dhabi, but during the private tests the week following the GP.
However, according to Ted Kravitz, technical expert at Sky Sports, the Woking team is also expected to run an enhanced version of its MP4-29 on Friday during free practice. This initiative aims to test new aerodynamic designs, driven by the new technical director from Red Bull, Peter Prodromou. It would not be a new car, but an MP4-29 testing new parts and new concepts.
In parallel with the technical work being done in Woking, McLaren-Honda is expected to announce next week the arrival of Fernando Alonso along with the name of his teammate, who will be chosen from the two incumbent drivers of 2014.
McLaren has not won a race since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix with Jenson Button and is currently 5th in the constructors’ standings, 49 points behind Ferrari and 34 points ahead of Force India.
