Official presentation of the McLaren-Mercedes MP4-25
The McLaren-Mercedes team launched its new car for the 2010 season on Friday morning with the aim of clinching both world titles. The MP4-25 was unveiled at Vodafone’s UK headquarters in Newbury. The new car retains the silver color of recent years, even though Mercedes Benz now has its own team. It features a shark […]
The McLaren-Mercedes team launched its new car for the 2010 season on Friday morning with the aim of clinching both world titles. The MP4-25 was unveiled at Vodafone’s UK headquarters in Newbury. The new car retains the silver color of recent years, even though Mercedes Benz now has its own team. It features a shark fin that extends to the rear wing, which was not used by the team in 2009.
The MP4-25 will be driven by Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, the reigning world champion, having left Brawn GP, with which he won the title last year.
« It was Alexander Graham Bell who stated that preparation is the key to success, and we have prepared this season in the most comprehensive way, » explained the team director, Martin Whitmarsh.
« As the team director, I am honored to represent this great team, but I am part of a group of dedicated and fantastic people. A great team and a competitive car can only succeed with exceptional drivers. Neither of our two drivers needs training, because they have together won the last two world championships. We are thrilled to spend this year with Lewis and Jenson. Both drivers are winners and they want to win this year.
« Each year, the F1 races present challenges, and 2010 is no exception. We have designed a car that utilizes the double diffuser concept. We look forward to this championship, which will undoubtedly be exciting with many new faces. We remain a partner of Mercedes-Benz, but we will need to be at our best to beat the team. Our goal is clear: It’s to win. »
The Director of Engineering, Paddy Lowe, added: « First of all, we are a technical team facing a great challenge as we have two world champions in the car. We felt some pressure to provide the right equipment. »
« This is a very sophisticated but very elegant car. It results from an unprecedented collaboration between the aero team and the mechanical design team. »
Test driver Gary Paffett will be the man responsible for taking the new car for its first laps on Monday, during the pre-season testing that starts in Valencia.
