McLaren MP4-25 launched

[Brogan]

The launch of the new McLaren 2010 challenger is currently being streamed live from http://carlaunch.mclaren.com/

Here are the first images of it.

Click for larger versions.

 

[FB]

Not quite as blatant as Ferrari's "alora, make it a looka like the Red Bull and then it be a quick" but still very RB5ish. Found a top down view, not sure if it tells us much.

Looks like this years question will be "to Shark's fin or not to Shark's fin?". I hope Red Bull come out with something totally radical but I think I say some comments from Newey that the car would be evolutionary rather than revolutionary

 

[snowy]

The sharkfin will last about two days of testing and will either be dropped completely or get a radical redesign. They're great in wind tunnels but unpredictable in real life and only desperate teams persist with them. I could be proved wrong of course but that's as likely as McLaren not being competitive, which I hope isn't the case...

 

[Brogan]

I was surprised they went with a shark fin.
Ferrari weren't exactly successful with it last year and couldn't make their mind up to use it or not.

Plus it makes the car look ugly.

 

[snowy]

Even if it was the best thing since sliced bread aerowise, you don't want to launch a car looking like that.

It looks like it belongs on a Milan catwalk... I have to echo your sentiments: It is butt ugly!

 

[Brogan]

I particularly liked the message they put on the rear diffuser

 

[cider_and_toast]

Another day another launch.

Interesting the size of the Merc badge on the nose cone. I thought it would be a little smaller than that. Infact if I was Mclaren it would have been a case of "Merc logo, Merc logo....hmmmm yeah we did put it on the car, where did we put it, oh yeah, under the drivers seat". Shame there is still so much silver on the car as well.

Obviously you can't say how the car will go until it hit's the track but I think the days of "If it looks good it is good" are long gone.

 

[Porceliamone]

The MP4-25 is seriously gorgeous. Looks like something from a Sci-fi movie. Anyone who says it's fugly need their eyes testing...in my opinion, of course!

 

[Brogan]

I prefer the nose to the Ferrari but the shark fin is awful.

It makes me think of this....

 

[FB]

A little harsh Bro, the MP4-25 ain't the prettiest car I've ever seen but it ain't the Belgrano either; which was what came to mind the minute I saw that awful renault.

 

[McZiderRed]

I really hope they quickly realise the car is faster without the awful "shark's fin" thing. I agree with the view that it makes the car look terrible!
I mean, a shark's fin has no business being on an F1 car, any more than it does being in a bowl of soup!

 

[bogaTYR]

am i seeing things or do i see a lot of the mercedes in there? apart from that shark fin of course. the air intake amongst others surely looks pretty much the same.

 

[FB]

Interesting comments from Button after his first day in the new Mclaren and quite a contrast to Hamilton's up-beat response to his first time out in the car:

Button: I've been doing a lot of work making sure I'm comfortable in the car. I wasn't quite where I wanted to be. I was quite high in the car and uncomfortable

Hamilton: I got out smiling. All the problems I had in the last car, I don't have in this one

Button is too high, Rosberg was complaining he was too low. At the Mclaren car launch it was surprising the height difference between Button & Hamilton. The car surely has to be built to accomodate both drivers, this seems a fairly basic mistake by Mclaren if they aren't able to adjust the car to suit both drivers.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/03022010/58/button-lukewarm-new-mclaren.html

 

[Muddytalker]

Interesting comments from Button after his first day in the new Mclaren and quite a contrast to Hamilton's up-beat response to his first time out in the car:

Button: I've been doing a lot of work making sure I'm comfortable in the car. I wasn't quite where I wanted to be. I was quite high in the car and uncomfortable

Hamilton: I got out smiling. All the problems I had in the last car, I don't have in this one

Button is too high, Rosberg was complaining he was too low. At the Mclaren car launch it was surprising the height difference between Button & Hamilton. The car surely has to be built to accomodate both drivers, this seems a fairly basic mistake by Mclaren if they aren't able to adjust the car to suit both drivers.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/03022010/58/button-lukewarm-new-mclaren.html

I'm not sure it's a mistake (the design process would have started last year before Button was signed), and to some extent the driver is an inconvenience, for a designer the smaller driver the better. McLaren do have form though, Gerhard Berger could never fit in his McLarens properly, not to mention a certain moustachioed Brummie...

Maybe Jenson forgot to take his wallet and little black book out of his back sky rocket before getting in?

 

[teabagyokel]

Interesting comments from Button after his first day in the new Mclaren and quite a contrast to Hamilton's up-beat response to his first time out in the car:

Button: I've been doing a lot of work making sure I'm comfortable in the car. I wasn't quite where I wanted to be. I was quite high in the car and uncomfortable

Hamilton: I got out smiling. All the problems I had in the last car, I don't have in this one

Button is too high, Rosberg was complaining he was too low. At the Mclaren car launch it was surprising the height difference between Button & Hamilton. The car surely has to be built to accomodate both drivers, this seems a fairly basic mistake by Mclaren if they aren't able to adjust the car to suit both drivers.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/03022010/58/button-lukewarm-new-mclaren.html

I'm not sure it's a mistake (the design process would have started last year before Button was signed), and to some extent the driver is an inconvenience, for a designer the smaller driver the better. McLaren do have form though, Gerhard Berger could never fit in his McLarens properly, not to mention a certain moustachioed Brummie...

Maybe Jenson forgot to take his wallet and little black book out of his back sky rocket before getting in?

It was built for Hamilton (not Kovalainen!) so it would suit Hamilton's physical physique more. But they should get that sorted eventually. If Red Bull can fit in Webber...

 

[Porceliamone]

It was built for Hamilton (not Kovalainen!) so it would suit Hamilton's physical physique more. But they should get that sorted eventually. If Red Bull can fit in Webber...

HK and LH are virtually the same stature-wise. It wouldn't make any difference in my view.

 

[teabagyokel]

My point was that McLaren expected Hamilton to be in the car in 2010, and they certainly did expect Kovalainen to go off to Proton Team Malaysia Trulli Trains Air Asia F1 Lotus, rather than to stay with the McLaren team!

 

[Porceliamone]

It was built for Hamilton (not Kovalainen!) so it would suit Hamilton's physical physique more.

No, your point was as highlighted above surely? It's quite clear...

 

[teabagyokel]

...than Button

 

[FB]

Just found some stats on driver heights and weights

Hamilton - 174cm (5ft 9 1/2") and 64kg (10st)
Kovaleinen - 170cm (5ft 8") and 63kg (9st 13lb)
Button - 181cm (6ft 0") and 69kg (10st 12lb)

So with Button 7cm taller than Hamilton and 11cm taller than Kovi I suppose it is not surprising that he doesn't fit too well in a car designed for two smaller men. I still can't believe Mclaren weren't able to adjust the car for him though as his different stature can't have come as suprise to them when he sat in it in Valencia. FYI, there was a 9cm height difference between Button and Barrichello.

The largest height difference on the grid last year was at BMW with Kubica 20cm taller than Heidfeld. One stat that did surprise me is that Vettel is only 8cm shorter than Webber, he looks much shorter. And, for no reason at all, in 2008 Anthony Davidson was the shortest driver on the grid at 160cm or 5ft 4" and 55kg - truly jockey sized proportions.