McLaren Seek to Benefit from Third Car

Former champions McLaren say they intend to exploit fully this season a third car rule originally intended to help struggling Formula One teams and aspiring drivers.

The Mercedes-powered team can run three cars in Friday practice sessions at Grands Prix as a result of finishing fifth overall in 2004.

"We will definitely run the third car," said team boss Ron Dennis after the test debut of the new MP4-20 in Spain on Monday. "It's certainly something that we will exploit to the maximum benefit of the team.

"We have two excellent development drivers in Alexander Wurz and Pedro de la Rosa," he said. "They are both very talented guys and both have renewed confidence in their abilities.

"At some appropriate stage, but not yet, we will decide which driver actually participates in (practice at) the initial races. We won't switch backwards and forwards. There will be an initial commitment, probably the first four races."

Dennis said he was 'surprised and comforted' that the rules had not been changed to prevent McLaren taking advantage of the situation but was not ruling out a late attempt before the Australian season-opener on March 6.

"There isn't a mechanism for it to change. But I've experienced change without a mechanism before so I'd never say it wouldn't happen," he said. "But as far as I can tell I wouldn't see this changing this season."

Having the third car on race Fridays will confer even more of an advantage this year as rule changes mean engines now have to last for two races in a row and the same set of tyres for qualifying and the entire race.

"We don't intend to put a young driver in although obviously it's an interesting and exciting opportunity for a young driver," said chief executive Martin Whitmarsh. "We feel that you've got to have a driver who is experienced in the tyre development and chassis programme and someone who can give us good feedback."

Wurz's height - he is 1.86 metres tall - has made it difficult to fit the 30-year-old Austrian into the car but Whitmarsh said McLaren would do what they could to help him.

"Alex is the more challenging package for us and always has been but each year we fit him in," he said.

"The only issue of modification that appears at the moment to be necessary to accommodate Alex is modifying the fire bottle in the car but we'll see when he has a second seat fitting in about 10 days time."

De la Rosa, 33, is also an experienced racer with 63 starts for Arrows and Jaguar from 1999 to 2002.