McLaren Expect to Have New Car Ready for Melbourne

McLaren will begin testing next year with a modified 2001 car but aim to start the new season in March with the 2002 version.

"We have every intention of being in Australia with the 2002 car," a team spokesperson said when asked about a report that the new McLaren might not be ready in time for the opening race in Melbourne in March.

Ferrari, who beat McLaren into second place in 2001, have already raised the possibility of using a version of last year's car for the first three long-haul races rather than what is expected to be an innovative new one. There are no significant technical changes for the new season and the long-haul races in Australia, Brazil and Malaysia put a premium on reliability.

McLaren intend to start testing in Barcelona on January 7 with Briton David Coulthard, Finn Kimi Raikkonen and Austrian Alexander Wurz. The team also tested at the start of 2001 with an interim car, essentially the previous year's model with a few modifications and some new parts.

The spokesperson said an interim car would again be used in 2002 up to the launch of the new Mercedes-powered car. McLaren have not announced a date for the launch but it is expected to be in January, when most other teams will also be presenting their new cars.