McLaren Unveil New MP4-18

The McLaren team today unveiled the new MP4-18 car and said that it is a significant step forward compared to the old MP4-17D the Woking-based outfit have raced so far this year.

"There is an obvious sense of expectancy when you run a new car for the first time, a feeling which is perhaps heightened this year as we believe the MP4-18 will represent a significant step forward for the team," said managing director Martin Whitmarsh in a statement released ahead of the debut of the car.

"Our long-term strategy is to re-establish the team as a consistent winner, through increasing overall competitiveness and reliability. To achieve this demands significant, rather than incremental, steps.

"This approach extends to the race introduction of the MP4-18, which has yet to be finalised and will not take place until we are in the position where the transition between the MP4-17D and the new car will be seamless."

The new car will make its testing debut at the Paul Ricard circuit on Wednesday, when Austrian test driver Alexander Wurz will begin a three-day test with the new machine. McLaren said that the new car will only be raced once it "has fulfilled the team's expectations with regard to reliability and speed."

The Woking-based squad said the MP4-18, designed by a team headed by technical director Adrian Newey, incorporates a number of visible differences, including a shorter and lower nose, a more tightly packaged rear and a slight dorsal fin shaping to the engine cover.

The car will use a new Mercedes-Benz engine, the FO 110P V10, that the team said it has been lowered within the car, producing centre of gravity benefits.

"We, in collaboration with our colleagues at Mercedes-Benz, have been able to push the design as far as we can, to endeavour to achieve a significant performance gain," said Newey. "This car has probably had more research put into it than any other car I have worked on.

"There are clearly visible developments to the car, such as the shorter, lower nose and the rear end. However myself, Mike Coughlan (Chief Designer), Neil Oatley (Executive Director of Engineering), and the entire design team have particularly focused on the packaging of the car.

"The MP4-18 is generally much smaller than its predecessor, and is quite tightly packed to achieve this. We have included some developments that aim to improve the aerodynamic efficiency, we have further increased attention to detail, and used some advanced materials in its construction."

The MP4-18 has also been designed to take two different gearboxes - one a development of the current car's and the other more radical.

"They are both built in volume to be able to race either," said team boss Ron Dennis. "It's a prudent but slightly more expensive way to go about it."

McLaren have won two races so far this year, and they lost the Championship lead in the constructors' standings to Ferrari at Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix. Finn Kimi Raikkonen, however, still leads the Drivers' Championship over Michael Schumacher.