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McLaren has just taken the wraps off its brand new 2013-season F1 car, the MP4-28. It’s a beauty, but will it win races? Both Jenson Button and McLaren’s new-kid-on-the-block Sergio Perez seem to think so.
Then again they’re both paid to say that. Considering McLaren finished a miserable 3rd last year in the constructors, way behind both Red Bull and Ferrari, let’s hope the team’s worked on reliability with the new beast. It’s not like the old car was slow, often the fastest on the track, but breakdowns and plethora of DNFs plagued the team.
It has to be said, the new car looks like a carbon copy of last years, with a few tweaks here and there, but apparently it’s totally new under the skin. McLaren’s gone with pull-rod suspension, following Ferrari’s lead, and its backend has been tapered severely. Just remember guys, he who finishes the race, could actually win the race. [McLaren, Facebook]
I wouldn’t call 3rd miserable to be honest Sam, they could have done a lot worse.
They had a lot of bad luck too.
Well, it’s miserable for them. I’m certain they were disappointed with third.
Makes a big difference $$$’wise
They had the fastest car overall. Third was bad.
The colour mix is fantastic. Looks like old and new mixed.
As a Hamilton fan, I could see why he left last year, if it wasn’t for multiple technical failures he could have been competing for the drivers championship easily… such as in the Abu Dhabi race, leading nearly the whole race for the car to come to a grinding halt. I’m still a McLaren fan, so hopefully this car is a lot more reliable
I’m the same. Too many reliability issues combined with pit-stop errors (always seemed to happen to Hamilton) meant that the fastest driver in the (most often) fastest car could only manage 4th in the DC.
If it was me I’d be sorely tempted by a team with as much potential as Mercedes, too.
He is a great driver but he does come across as a petulant child sometimes!
That Nose is high.
Exactly what I thought the moment I saw it. I was sure the new regulations made that illegal due to the risks of direct impact on the driver of another car in an accident – resulting in the ugly step-nosed configuration.
True, but there are limits. The nose is certainly higher on the 2013 car, but still within the rules.
Higher nose is advantageous for under-car aerodynamics. The McLaren does have a ‘step-nose’ but it’s covered by panel resulting in the smooth appearance.
I would have thought a lower nose would be better for the aero.
The McLaren is definitely the best looking car out there. I’m a dedicated F1 follower and a huge fan of cars, but even to my eye, this looks exactly the same as last year’s car.
Ah. Her Majesty’s McLaren.
Think Apple, but without the giant cockheads, lawyers, or revisionism.
I think the phrase you’re going for at the end of the article is in fact;
“to finish first, first you must finish.”
I think Red Bull had the pull-rod suspension before Ferrari? That Adrian Newey is a genius, wish he’d return to McLaren!