McLaren's new Formula 1 car, the MP4-26 Mercedes, was revealed Friday at Berlin's Potsdamer Platz, the famous public space that sits on the fringe of the old Berlin Wall.
Looking radically different from last year's chassis, MP4-26 features a range of aerodynamic features designed to take advantage of new rules significantly limiting the amount of downforce that can be derived from the car's underbody.
These most notably include distinctive U-shaped side pods - to feed air more efficiently to the car's rear-end - and an electronically adjustable rear-wing system, introduced for 2011 to increase the potential for overtaking.
Beneath the skin, the car houses an all-new electric hybrid system. The McLaren team, along with its engine partners Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, became the first-ever Formula 1 team to win a grand prix using a hybrid device in 2009, and this new system is expected to further refine that race-winning package.
Closer inspection of the car on display showed some of the detail beneath the bodywork had been moulded in dummy plastic.
"Be warned, you haven't seen it all," boss Martin Whitmarsh advised reporters in the German capital.
He said certain "bits and pieces" of the MP4-26's eventual race specification have been "hidden from you and our competitors" for the launch.
The team continues for 2011 with world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.
Following today's launch, McLaren' Gary Paffett will shake down MP4-26 during a private session at the Idiada Proving Ground in Spain on Tuesday February 8 before the team begins track testing at the Circuito de Jerez on Thursday February 10.
Looking radically different from last year's chassis, MP4-26 features a range of aerodynamic features designed to take advantage of new rules significantly limiting the amount of downforce that can be derived from the car's underbody.
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| Photo: McLaren |
These most notably include distinctive U-shaped side pods - to feed air more efficiently to the car's rear-end - and an electronically adjustable rear-wing system, introduced for 2011 to increase the potential for overtaking.
Beneath the skin, the car houses an all-new electric hybrid system. The McLaren team, along with its engine partners Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, became the first-ever Formula 1 team to win a grand prix using a hybrid device in 2009, and this new system is expected to further refine that race-winning package.
Closer inspection of the car on display showed some of the detail beneath the bodywork had been moulded in dummy plastic.
"Be warned, you haven't seen it all," boss Martin Whitmarsh advised reporters in the German capital.
He said certain "bits and pieces" of the MP4-26's eventual race specification have been "hidden from you and our competitors" for the launch.
The team continues for 2011 with world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.
Following today's launch, McLaren' Gary Paffett will shake down MP4-26 during a private session at the Idiada Proving Ground in Spain on Tuesday February 8 before the team begins track testing at the Circuito de Jerez on Thursday February 10.
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| Photo: McLaren |
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| Photo: WRI2 |