Martin Whitmarsh expects McLaren to challenge in Australian Grand Prix
McLaren-Mercedes boss Martin Whitmarsh has claimed that his team have made some improvements to the car, which will make them more competitive in the opening race of the 2011 Formula One season on 27th March in Australia. However, he wasn’t pleased about the team’s issues during pre-season testing, and was expecting to gain some more speed with the changes made to the car.
Whitmarsh stated, “We have a completely new floor and a new exhaust system. There are a lot of other bits and pieces, but they're the clear and obvious ones that people will see in Australia.”
On his team’s chances in the first race of the season, Whitmarsh said, “I can't make any predictions, but you always have the target of going to win races. I'm not predicting we're going to win it, I'm saying we're aiming to win it.”
The McLaren boss further added that changes always bring risks with them, but he was willing to take them. He claimed that if things worked out according to plan, the team would be much more competitive in the season opener than they appeared to be.
Last season proved to be a good one for the British team, as they finished runners-up to Red Bull racing. McLaren was the only team that challenged the reigning champions for the constructor’s title in 2010, as Ferrari didn’t have the pace to match both teams.
McLaren was expected to be a much more competitive team in the 2011 season, but they haven't managed to find the right combination so far. Both drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button failed to find grip and speed in the testing sessions, and they weren’t pleased about that.
From the results of the pre-season tests, it was clear that Ferrari and Red Bull would be fighting at the front and McLaren appeared to third fastest. However, Mercedes GP upgraded their car during the last test at Barcelona and impressed one and all with their pace.
The German team showed a lot of promise, as veteran driver Michael Schumacher clocked the quickest time of the winter at Barcelona. This will be concerning for McLaren, as they will have to potentially deal with three teams at the front. However, the teams will have to wait for the first race to find out the true picture.
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