It would appear that now the saga of 2007 is behind them, McLaren are moving forward and having won the drivers title in 2008, the squad will be pushing to take both titles in 2009. With this foundation, Dennis feels that now is the right time to step back and let the team move forward with a new principal. Despite only intending to attend a few races this year, Dennis said that he will be working harder in the background to ensure the business will continue to thrive during the economic downturn.

First thing I am going to do is work harder, that is the first target. I intend to raise my own game because I think everybody in our organisation at every level realises this is a tough period in which we are going to work and of course we are a very diverse organisation now.

I intend to work harder and will take on greater responsibility in the group. I will be full executive chairman. It is time and I have to say it is absolutely 100 percent my decision. It is what I want to do, but I do intend to work much harder. Ron Dennis.

The new team principal at McLaren will be the current CEO of the Formula One operation, Martin Whitmarsh. Whitmarsh has been involved with McLaren since 1989 and has helped orchestrate many of the team’s achievements. Starting out as the Head Of Operations, Whitmarsh was promoted in 1997 to Managing Director. Martin’s recent promotion to CEO came in 2004 and allowed Ron Dennis to oversee other parts of the company while leaving the Formula One operation in safe hands.

Don’t’ see it as some sort of retirement, I want to work harder in other areas and having to plan those tasks around the GP calendar is disruptive to the process. It is a job that Martin will embrace and enjoy. It is a job over the years we have shared anyway, but it will be his decision to influence things at a grand prix circuit. Ron Dennis.

Ron Dennis praised Whitmarsh and said that Martin will embrace his new role at McLaren. Dennis also insisted that this is not his retirement speech and that we will still see him around at some of the races. I’ll let Ron have the final word…

I will always be part of McLaren. I just want to have the odd longer weekend. Ron Dennis.

Original article by BlogF1.

Ron Dennis To Step Down As McLaren Team Principal

Although McLaren have been on a winning streak in recent seasons, they are yet to reclaim the constructors title, last won in 1998 when Mika Hakkinen also took his first of two drivers titles. Since then the McLaren cars have been mostly winners, but reliability issues in the early-to-mid 2000s plagued the team. However, 2007 marked a changed in fortune and with Lewis Hamilton arriving to replace the outgoing Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren’s confidence grew.

Hamilton’s dream was realised last season when in a nail-biting finale to the season, the young Briton took the drivers title by passing Timo Glock at the penultimate corner and earning that one vital extra point. Carrying the number 1 on the front of his car this year, Hamilton will be hoping for a chance to take a second title. However, at the launch Lewis seemed more appealed by the looks of it.

This is the first time I’ve seen it fully put together and it looks beautiful. The team manages to always put together a stunning car and it’s great to see the final outcome of the work that has gone on. Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton also spoke of the emotion of seeing the completed package for the first time and the chassis bearing the number 1 on the front and sides.

The arrival of a new car is always an emotional moment for any racing driver – and the unveiling of MP4-24 is even more special for me, not only because the car looks absolutely stunning but also because it carries the number one. I believe this year’s World Championship is open, given the new rule changes and that’s a great prospect for every Formula 1 fan. Personally, I’m hoping for another successful season and the chance to once again fight for the title – until the final race if necessary, but preferably before. Lewis Hamilton.

Team boss Ron Dennis described the new McLaren (in typical Ron-speak) as “a car correctly conceptualised”, and highlighted the increased amount of work needed to develop the MP4-24 due top the change in regulations for the 2009 season.

Extensive rule changes require extensive amount of work – these are the biggest rules changes we have seen in 15 years.

That requires the technologists in our organisation, they are not just engineers but scientist with high qualifications, to go back to a plain piece of paper and conceptualising what the fundamental requirement are for the regulations.

It is there you can get it wrong because if you get it wrong no amount of development can sort it out. What you see in the MP4-24 is a car correctly conceptualised.

As ever, we exist to win and our target remains the successful acquisition of both this year’s Drivers’ and Constructors’ world titles. Ron Dennis.

With McLaren believed to be ahead of Ferrari with the development of KERS, 2009 could be the year that the Woking-squad take back the constructors championship. But that will remain an unknown at least until the car makes its first run next week at the Portimao test. Experienced test driver Pedro De La Rosa will conduct the first two day’s of testing in Portugal next week where the challenger will undergo its first shakedown alongside three other teams.

Photos © McLaren.

Original article by BlogF1.

Launches 2009: McLaren Present The MP4-24

The challenge was put to Liam, who after a tour of the McLaren factory in July, met the team chief and explained his fundraising efforts – Liam has raised in excess of £250,000 for charity in the past 20 months, and all this despite fighting his own battle with cancer. Dennnis apparently couldn’t resist Liam’s competitive streak and suggested he try and see what he could get out of his lake. The real challenge is that Liam has never fished before in his life, but he will be able to bring an expert with him. And much like Formula One, Dennis has some rules…

Liam has one hour to catch as many fish as he can. But only he is permitted to handle the rod and only I can count up the number of fish before they are returned to the lake. Having said that, I’ll let him bring an expert angling coach. In return, I have promised Liam £50 for each fish he catches. Ron Dennis.

Liam will be fishing the lake today, but people can still donate via Liam’s CLIC Sargent page – so far £700+ has been donated. Let’s hope Liam can put Ron out of pocket by as much as possible!

If people sponsor me just £1 it will help make a difference. CLIC Sargent has been there for my family throughout my treatment. I want to give something back so that they can help other families like mine. Liam Fairhurst.

Original article by BlogF1.

Gone Fishing At McLaren

The European Grand Prix came off as a mixed affair. The track was great, and many have suggested it will only get better as the years pass. It is hoped that with more yachts in the harbour, more glamour in the paddock and pro-overtaking rule changes will all combine to make Valencia the talking point of racing seasons to come. Conversely, although Dennis didn’t actually commit to saying this, it is clear from his choice of language that Ron is ashamed that the UK government are not offering monetary support to the British Grand Prix. He took his opportunity with the world’s media listening to loosely compare the commitment of the two nations to motor sport.

I have to say something a little controversial which I’ll probably regret. When I go back into England and I go through Heathrow airport, I’m ashamed to be English.

Valencia is an area that is not the gateway to their country, and yet the local government showed vision to stage the America’s Cup, to commit all the resources they did to turn it into a world-class venue.

To see what they’ve done demonstrates what you can do if you are committed as a government, local or national. Valencia is a testament to how you should do it. I applaud the efforts of Valencia. They’ve gone the right way about it, they’ve committed to putting in the infrastructure, to getting the resources right. Ron Dennis.

Silverstone will host their last race in 2009, after which the venue will change to Donington Park. This announcement came as a surprise to many on the eve of the 2008 grand prix, and many people fear that Donington will not be able to get permission or funding to develop the circuit in time for 2010. The really cynical among the Formula One fraternity believe Bernie Ecclestone has done this on purpose. The theory goes that Bernie switched the race to a circuit he knew would be unlikely to fulfil its obligations, at which point the race can be dropped and Bernie can replace it with another more profitable venue.

Regardless of theories and speculation, the point of Dennis’s words (as far as I can make out) are that he is ashamed that Formula One isn’t considered a sport worthy of UK government funding, and the fact that Valencia, which is only Spain’s third largest city, hosted an event the local people, attendees and organisers can be proud of. Although the racing wasn’t as exciting as other circuits, the atmosphere was said to be top-notch, as were the facilities.

Ron’s words are bound to come back and bite him at some point, but as the McLaren boss said himself, if people to not talk openly about these issues, then nothing can be expected to change. Unfortunately for Ron, just speaking out, I fear, will not be enough. What needs to happen are talks between Formula One employers and the government. The sport needs to be sold to the government, and whining will not help in the long-run. To add more cynacism though, with the 2012 Olympic Games coming to the UK, I don’t see how the government will want to ad to their own monetary pressures when already the planned-budget for the games has been laughed off as ridiculously small.

Well done to Ron for speaking up. And well done to Ron for sharing his thoughts on the Spanish circuit. But will this little moan make any difference? I doubt it.

Original article by BlogF1.

Ron Dennis In Praise Of Valencia

The main concern is burning out the staff, and Dennis has said that he will accommodate this by hiring more personnel and will rotate them. Dennis stated that his employees will not be expected to attend every race of the year. However, as mentioned in my previous article, this adds a burden of cost to the teams. This in itself goes against the FIA’s bid to reduce costs in the future and make Formula One more accessible for lesser-funded operations.

This break is absolutely essential for all the people who travel. They don’t get the right amount of time with their families and this gives them an opportunity to have at least one week where they are not at the office or workshop. Ron Dennis.

The proposed 2009 season starts at the end of March and goes right through to mid-Novemeber, with the maximum time between two races being the standard two weeks. This prompted the team bosses to discuss the issue in the Valencia paddock last weekend and they have decided to try and reshuffle the schedule to allow a break somewhere in the middle of the year. The teams know very well about the logistics of ferrying staff and equipment around the world and thus are in the best position to decide how to the plan the season.

We seem to have a long break at the beginning of the season and no summer break. There should be more discussion to optimise the race schedule in terms of the burden to the teams. John Howett.

Initially the teams suggested bringing the Australian Grand Prix forward to an earlier weekend in March, but Bernie Ecclestone rubbished that idea because he wants the race after the clocks change, thus bringing it closer to the daytime for his beloved European viewers. Another idea would be to move all the flyaways to later in the year. Perhaps start the season in Europe (or Bahrain/Abu Dhabi) in early-March, then fly away to Asia and Australia in early-April. At the moment though, the teams are apparently trying to squeeze in a break around Germany/Hungary/Turkey time. If the proposed-calendar changes, BlogF1 will of course post an update and alter the calendar page.

Original article by BlogF1.

Teams Look Into Ways Of Retaining Summer Break

The obvious advantage of having a three-week break is that everybody gets a chance to relax and enjoy time away from the race tracks and offices. While some testing has happened, it has been relatively low-key, and next season there will be no chance to test. The disadvantage of having a short hiatus is for the fans, who have to wait 19 or so days between the two races. Having the season run through with regular pattern will help with this, although the teams will be pretty tired at the season-end.

To combat this, Ron Dennis will rotate his staff who attend the races to allow each member a chance to take a well deserved rest.

This break is absolutely essential for all the people who travel. They don’t get the right amount of time with their families and this gives them an opportunity to have at least one week where they are not at the office or workshop.

It’s a key ingredient of keeping people motivated and happy when you are addressing the calendar, which makes next year’s difficult for them. We will have to accommodate that by rotating people. They will not be expected to go right through the season. Ron Dennis.

However, while Ron may be going a little soft in his old age (what with all the tea parties as well), is he really doing the best thing for his team? Currently, the race teams remain fairly static with the same faces showing up time and time again. Felipe Massa’s race engineer, Rob Smedley, will be expected to attend every race this year; failure to do so could wreak havoc on the Ferrari team.

Having the same staff at each race obviously means consistency and knowledge. The staff know exactly what they’re doing, are aware of any issues from previous races and the drivers are better for knowing who to speak to about certain things. It isn’t clear if Ron will allow the key staff to rotate, people like the race engineers who are important to the drivers during a race weekend. But needless to say, it will be interesting to see if other teams adopt this strategy, if more staff will be required (which goes against cost-cutting) and if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages during the 2009 season.

Original article by BlogF1.

Is Rotating Staff Going To Disadvantage McLaren?

Heikki Kovalainen has been doing a pretty good job at McLaren, and even though he made a silly mistake in Australia, the pace of the Finn has impressed many. But having made his peace with Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali by way of a handshake, it seems McLaren chief Ron Dennis has turned his attention to Renault’s Flavio Briatore. It is often said that Dennis didn’t handle Fernando Alonso very well while the Spaniard was at the Woking stable, and Alonso himself has stated that he is happier now he has returned to Renault. So why oh why has Dennis taken the opportunity to question Briatore’s management technique?

The question results from Dennis being quoted as saying that McLaren have systematically rebuilt Kovalainen into a confident racing driver after his time at Renault. The words uttered by Dennis are quite strong and definitely come across as a slap to the face of Briatore.

Heikki is a guy who was systematically taken apart last year and we have systematically put him back together again.

It [Heikki's time at Renault] is a story about how this guy lost his motivation and was misguided in how he should go about his physical preparation. But credit to Martin [Whitmarsh] and the guys who analyse all of the potential candidates, going back to lesser formulae. We look for the patterns. Where was the driving skill? Who was in the best team? When we applied those criteria he [Kovalainen] was miles ahead of any other option. Ron Dennis.

I think it is fair to say that Kovalainen is doing well at McLaren, perhaps better then he was at Renault. And when Heikki made a sily mistake, Dennis immediately defended his young driver. Roll back twelve months and Flavio Briatore was scolding his drivers after a dismal start to Renault’s 2007 campaign.

It could be that Dennis is trying to reaffirm his ability to nurture drivers, it could be a simple bow shot to Renault. Or it could even be a realisation that Heikki needs little confidence boosters like these to help him along his way. Either way, part of Dennis’s speech is clearly directed towards Briatore and the words chosen are pretty strong.

Original article by BlogF1.

Dennis Hits Out At Briatore’s Management Style

Speaking today from Melbourne ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, Dennis spoke to reporters, stating that he had thought at the beginning of 2007 that it would be his last. But the events that transpired during the season led Dennis to feel obligated to remain at the helm and see his beloved squad return to glory.

There are lots of things that people don’t really understand that happened over the last few months. I thought pretty much at the beginning of last season it would be my last season of going to races, purely because of how long I have done it.

It is a process I go through every year and for some reason it got a bit more publicity. My effort, dedication and focus is to grow McLaren as a brand. [My decision to stay on] is something that has become a much bigger issue than it really is. Ron Dennis.

It has been a tough few months for 60-year old and his team, and combined with the break-up in his marriage, I don’t think anyone could have blamed Ron for standing down. Well, okay, I can think quite a few people actually, but ultimately the man’s been through the mill a few times since last summer.

To Stay

It shows dedication, as Dennis spoke of in Australia. It shows that Dennis is determined to see the team through this rough patch, something he is not too dissimilar with having coaxed the squad out of many performance slumps in the past. By staying he is also doing his successor – likely to be Whitmarsh – a huge favour. The added time will help matters concerning Stepneygate calm down, allowing Whitmarsh to fall into the bosses position without too much going on in the background (hopefully).

If McLaren are going to go on and reclaim the title, and continue winning, they need stability. While Dennis leaving the team won’t completely upset their apple cart, it could rock it around enough to let Ferrari continue their winning ways. Although the Scuderia won the 2007 titles (after Ross Brawn had left among other changes), they weren’t walking all over the competition until the competition got disqualified. Dennis remaining at the helm sends a clear message to the Woking staff and to the fans that McLaren want to win.

To Go

It could be argued that Ron has done his company a huge disservice. Many Formula One figures have come out and stated they have a distaste for the man and his team now that the saga is out in the light. Many fans feel betrayed because the whole situation happened in the first place, and then it took a few months before admittance and apology were made. They feel that Dennis has damaged the sport and maybe the reins should be handed over to Whitmarsh sooner rather than later.

I am continuing as team principal, but it is the smallest part of my job – and a part that Martin has definitely wanted to have for a while. But he will have to wait a little bit longer. I will approach it slightly differently to before. Ron Dennis.

Martin is a real talent and obviously has the backing of Dennis. Ron has stated in the past that he will be retiring from his role in the team in the near future (and it was meant to be 2007); maybe he should trust Whitmarsh more and let him sink or swim now?

It’s a tricky decision for the Briton to make, there’s no doubt in my mind about that. There are also issues with the media to deal with. If Dennis left now it would seem as though he was admitting complete blame and feels guilty about what happened. I know that ultimately Dennis is to blame, being the boss and all, but how the media spin it will surely get a small mention in the plan.

The answer has already been made; Ron Dennis is McLaren’s team boss for 2008. But what do you think the Ronster should have done? Do you think he should have stood-down, or do you support his decision to stay?

Original article by BlogF1.

Should Dennis Stay, Or Should Dennis Go?

2007 was a year or ecstatic highs and solemn lows. The MP4-22 was a race winner from the start of the season and continued to be until the end at Interlagos. It was fast, reliable and gave both drivers a chance to win the drivers championship. But it all came unraveled partway through the season when the FIA had to intervene and investigate espionage between certain McLaren employees and their counterparts at Ferrari. We all know what happened, or rather, what is still happening, and the result of which was a severe fine and the ultimate humiliation of being thrown out of the constructors title race. Whether or not the punishment was correct, the fact is McLaren will be desperate to reclaim the lost title and 2008 will be an all-out charge to beat nearest rivals Ferrari. That I am certain of.

The Drivers

The MP4-23s will be driven by Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton this year, Fernando Alonso having decided to return to Renault after the personality clashes he endured while at McLaren in 2007. It was essentially a straight swap between Alonso and Kovalainen, the former having now warmed two seats for the Finn as the merry-go-round of drivers continues each year.

On the face of it, you’d have to say McLaren have a very weak line-up, both drivers having only completed one season of Formula One racing each. But we all saw the competitiveness of Hamilton in 2007, and Kovalainen went on to beat his experienced team mate at Renault last year. So while each driver may have only completed seventeen races, the talent sitting within the driving seats is clear; McLaren have one proven winner and one who should, by most expectations, become a winner.

What the team doesn’t necessarily have is maturity and wisdom though. While Hamilton is known to have enough talent to challenge for the title is only his first year of F1 racing, and Heikki showed great skill behind the wheel of the lacklustre R27, both drivers also made errors in 2007 that a more experienced pilot may not have. Of course, these mistakes are to be expected, but each driver was comforted by a known and trusted team mate during their maiden season. This time around, they are competing with one another.

Lewis Hamilton enters 2008 with the memory of almost winning last year’s crown. The young Briton must be full of confidence and raring to go at the moment, and it won’t be too long until we see if the car is up to the job and if Lewis can tame his eagerness. Hamilton is a reasonably clever driver and is a trusted part of the McLaren organisation. Many of his contemporaries and peers have tipped him to take the title this year, but seeing his performance in Brazil at the end of last season leaves me thinking that Lewis doesn’t handle pressure too well. At the start of the race Hamilton made a few errors that appeared to be the result of pushing too hard and trying to instantly make up the loss of position that each error caused. And if there is one trait you need to win the title, it is the ability to handle pressure from the first race to the last.

Heikki is still unknown unfortunately. The Renault R27 wasn’t exactly the greatest of cars to come from Enstone and it was harder to see if Kovalainen has the ability to lead from the front and keep going to the chequered flag. The Finnish driver made a few mistakes during the year, most notably on his debut at Australia which led to some harsh criticism from his boss, Flavio Briatore. Kovalainen raised his game though and took Briatore’s words on his chin. By the end of the year he was nine points clear of Giancarlo Fisichella, a driver who has won races and enjoyed a long career in F1.

Watching these two drivers is going to be fascinating, and McLaren have vowed to allow them equal opportunity to challenge for wins and the title. Obviously, that would be up to a point, but to begin with I’m expecting these two be going at each other like hammer and tongs on the race track. The biggest concern for me would have to be their tempestuous naivety. I can see one driving into the other and then swearing blind they had the right of way. The team have said that there won’t be any repeat of the difficulties faced last year, and I’m sure they have both sat through many chats about team playing and working towards one goal. But I’m still unsure of how these two youngsters are behave towards one another when the visor comes down and the engine is fired into life.

The Car

The MP4-23 was conceived under a cloud of controversy, following the realisation that the spy saga last year may have affected the legality of the 2008 machine. McLaren will have a long-term plan regarding the future development of their car, a plan that probably exceeds most expectations in terms of longevity. It is therefore understandable to assume that the MP4-23 started coming to life in the early part of last season, continually updated and remodeled at times. But the chances of the car being illegal (in relation to the Ferrari saga) have now passed and the car has been deemed ‘good to race’.

In testing the MP4-23 has looked fast and strong. McLaren have used all four drivers to good use and their advantage; Hamilton, Kovalainen, Pedro De La Rosa and Gary Paffett all putting in decent mileage. The team have been present at most big test sessions in Spain and the car was one of the first to be unveiled back in January. From testing it is hard to see anything that looks particularly troublesome, so the real test will come on Friday in Melbourne when it finally runs at speed alongside its rival cars. Needless to say though, it is likely that McLaren have a car to challenge for the titles.

The Prediction

McLaren will be racing Ferrari this year, and it is likely that the wins will be shared fairly evenly between the two teams, their respective testing pace indicating a small margin that fluctuates each way. Where McLaren win they also lose; they have talent in the drivers, but they also lack experience. De La Rosa will do his usual job of developing the car well during the year, but the hard work of the team could very easily become undone by silly errors on race day. I would expect McLaren to win the constructors, but I don’t think either driver has it to conquer Kimi Raikkonen for the drivers title yet.

Original article by BlogF1.

F12008: McLaren

Richard Rae opened his Times piece with the bold statement that Dennis would be stepping aside this week. Rae cited that the reasons were likely to revolve around weighing up spare time, with the demands placed on a team principal in a modern Formula One squad becoming increasingly intense. Ron recently split with his wife of 22 years, and turning 62 in June, Dennis most be getting a little weary.

Now 61, he [Dennis] is adamant that he intends to be more available to his children, and also believes that the role of team principal has changed. Unlike Dennis, who is a major shareholder commanding a majority on the McLaren board, several other current team principals are essentially employees who sometimes have to refer major decisions. Richard Rae.

The problem that Dennis is facing, according to Pitpass’s take on the article, is that he needs to step down at the right time. Had Ron followed his initial plan, he would have been leaving because of the whole saga. However, leaving now would be better in terms of how the press will take it, but even better would be the end of the 2008 season. Rae also reports that Ron is under no pressure and some staff have even urged him to stay on.

Times Online Article: McLaren Ron Dennis Set To Quit
Pitpass Article: Ron Dennis To Step Down?

Image courtesy of McLaren.

Original article by BlogF1.

New Rumours Surrounding Ron Dennis & McLaren

Had Dennis been just an employee of McLaren, he probably would have been fired a fair few months ago. But Dennis isn’t an employee. He is a major shareholder in the group and currently Chairman & CEO. It has been suggested in the last couple of years that current CEO of the Formula One team, Martin Whitmarsh, is being groomed as Dennis’s replacement, Dennis being 62 this coming June. But today the Internet is posting stories of Ron’s demise from the head of McLaren, citing Spanish sports newspaper Marca as the original source.

According to Marca Ron was forced out of his position by Mercedes, who will also apparently take an even greater share in the squad at some point in the near future, and Dennis will be be employed in a more non-critical role. Which, to be honest, really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. To extract Dennis from his role is going to be complex. He owns 15% of the team and is also key to the success of the squad. Whilst 2007 was perhaps one of the team’s worst in their history, the car was fast, the drivers were fast and from a purely racing perspective, everything looked great.

McLaren and Mercedes have denied the rumour with an almost equally echoed statement.

The reports are pure speculation. The fact is, the well-known status-quo remains, and this means an unchanged management team. Mercedes Spokesperson.

Bernie Ecclestone also felt he needed to get involved as well, speaking to the British daily newspaper The Mirror.

He’s not an employee. He’s a shareholder and he had internal support from other shareholders. Bernie Ecclestone.

Original Article (I believe) in Spanish | English (Google translation)

Original article by BlogF1.

Media Hypes Speculation Of ‘Dennis Firing’

Before Dennis was a team owner, he spent many years working on the Cooper and Brabham cars as a mechanic. Dennis was fairly young at the time, many of his peers at least a decade older. However, he became friendly with many drivers and worked hard to ensure he did his bit to help the cars win. In 1971 though, following the retirement of Jack Brabham, Dennis decided to start his own racing team with friend Neil Trundle. Naming the team Rondel and working out of Dennis’s hometown of Woking, the squad started to mature and by the middle of the decade were enjoying success in Formula Two.

Further twists and turns in the mid-to-late ’70s led Dennis to forming Project Three, and after moderate success, Project Four a few years later. Project Four built on Three’s success, but still Formula One was slightly out of reach for the Briton. Ever the ambitious soul though, Dennis hired John Barnard to design him a Formula One car.

In late 1980, the Marlboro-backed McLaren F1 team were struggling. Poor performance was putting the squad in crisis and something had to be done to find a way out and to improve. Philip Morris executive John Hogan forced McLaren to merge with Dennis’s Project Four, shaking up the F1 team and giving Dennis a return to top-flight racing. Ron essentially became the boss of the merged teams, now known as McLaren International. And with John Barnard designing the next McLaren chassis, Ron decided to name it after his own project, and the company who provided the means and funds for his endeavours to be realised; Marlboro and Project Four. A short time later, Barnard had designed the MP4-1.

Image courtesy of John Chapman.

Original article by BlogF1.

The Meaning Behind McLaren’s MP4 Designation

Original article by BlogF1.

McLaren MP4-23: More Photos

The livery continues with the chrome effect adorning the tight and sculptured lines of the McLaren, and like with the Ferrari, the cockpit is narrower but allows more room around the steering wheel. Higher cockpit sides are introduced to comply with new safety rules and the ‘08 machine is void of electronic aids that are now prohibited in the sport.

The launch was attended by 700 employees from the nearby Mercedes factory, as well as 400 media representatives who were busy asking questions. The MP4-23 will debut on track on Wednesday when it takes part in a private test at Jerez in Southern Spain, where Lewis Hamilton and new-to-McLaren Heikki Kovalainen will get a taste of their new racer.

It is Lewis’ birthday today, we’ve gone to a lot of trouble… He is 23, it is the MP4-23 and he will carry [number] 23 on the car, but that is more by accident than judgement I must say. This is a year of forward thinking for us, we are looking forward.

We are not spending any time dwelling on the past. We are intent with everyone in the company in producing a competitive racing car, a car that is constantly evolving and will look radically different by the time we get to the first Grand Prix. Ron Dennis.

Everyone in Woking in our technology centre and Mercedes has had to work incredibly hard to produce this car, which we know is quicker than the car we raced in Brazil. We have to have two cars testing this week. It is tremendous effort to finish the second car.

Between now and the start of the season we will continue to develop the package, many components will evolve and change, and a lot more will be added to the car before the start of the season.

We know none of our competitors have stood still and we hope to be in a position to win races. Martin Whitmarsh.

The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 is the coolest birthday present you can get, well it is for me anyway!

After such a great season in 2007 I think the approach will be very, very similar to last year. We have a better car, a new teammate and as a team are stronger and as a driver I have developed so much over one season that I will be a lot stronger next season than last year. So with the same mentality, approach and determination we can do well. Lewis Hamilton.

Of course for me it is a fantastic opportunity. It is a big step forward in my career to join McLaren. So far I have been impressed with what I have seen at the factory in Woking, meeting engineers, meeting people.

Everyone is determined to return to the top and I will do the maximum I can before the first race, to start the season well in Melbourne and hopefully have some good results. Heikki Kovalainen.

Photographs Of The MP4-23

Original article by BlogF1.

McLaren MP4-23: Launch & Photos

I find this particularly interesting as I – in my humble opinion – find the way Formula One deals with the media and the fans less-than-satisfactory. It seems the FIA have difficulties in understanding that through the media, fans learn about the sport and keep up with the news and stories. But it seems as though the organisation, and perhaps it isn’t directly related to the FIA and more to do with the teams, cannot dish the news out properly. Only yesterday we were given a three sentence statement stating the decision made regarding Renault, but we had to wait almost 24 hours before we could read the full explanation. This happened with McLaren last September when the FIA famously messed up a document which was meant to hide confidential information; alas, it did not.

Not only are the FIA perhaps a bit loony though (and I think I’m safe to suggest that after Mosley called Jackie Stewart a half-wit – the precedent has been set now) but Ron Dennis has been moaning about the media all year. The only thing that puzzles me about Dennis’s grumbles is that I’m yet to fully fathom out exactly what his issue is. He doesn’t like Red Bull’s The Red Bulletin in his corporate trackside areas; fair enough. But he is also talking about the online media – that’ll be you and me then – and is uncomfortable with it being uncontrolled and unedited. Sidepodcast and F1 Insight had great posts up earlier in the year (It’s All Your Fault and Ron Dennis And The Net) when this first broke and both articles are worth a read.

Ultimately, I think Ron wants all media to follow the same rules and guidelines that he gets to make. Hmm, yes Ron, good luck on that one.

Anyway, somebody has dared to speak up to the FIA, and while the accusation might be a bit far flung, the FIA are presumably going to get their big heavy boots out and attempt to put their foot down. Yeah, I would like to extend my best of luck to the FIA on that one as well.

Original article by BlogF1.

FIA To Sue The Sunday Times; Red Bulletin Is Safe For Now