Official: McLaren introduces the MP4-28 Formula One [w/videos]
Filed under: Motorsports, Racing, McLaren
McLaren F1 hasn’t gone into much detail on the changes included in its brand new MP4-28, which might cause a double-take since it has the same lines and paint job as last year’s car. We’re told, however, that under the skin it is a new beast, team managing director Jonathan Neale saying that instead of evolving last year’s race-winning car it made more sense to be more ambitious and provide a more open-ended development track.
The front suspension is a pull-rod type like the one used by Ferrari, which is a change from last year, and the sidepods and rear bodywork are probably the most notable of the other upgrades. McLaren hopes the “deep and sweeping re-design” will avoid the mid-season slump of last year; the team had the fastest car to start and end the 2012 season, but it played catch-up during the meaty part of the year. As we can expect with probably every major team on the grid, upgrades are already planned, McLaren saying there’s a big package being prepared for the second test.
Returning driver Jenson Button now leads the team after Lewis Hamilton‘s departure to Mercedes, and is paired with ex-Sauber driver Sergio Perez. Two videos below will get you a closer look at their steeds: The first video is the television presentation – the action starts at 31:52, the second gets some close-up shots of the silver bullet.
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McLaren introduces the MP4-28 Formula One [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
