McLaren confident for Spa race
It’s been tough lately for the McLaren team. They stole the race from their rivals at the start of the season with the innovative F-duct, but have since fallen out of contention in the development race. They have struggled to keep up with Red Bull and Ferrari’s designs, producing their version of the blown diffuser well after both teams had revealed theirs. Does McLaren still have a shot at the championship?
According to McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, it is only a matter of time before the team reclaims their lead. He expects the performance updates on the MP 4-25 will grab attention at next weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.
“As we’ve always stated, we believe there are some large areas of performance locked within the car and its recent upgrade, and we are confident that our solid-engineering approach will enable us to fully unlock them sooner rather than later,” Whitmarsh said.
McLaren is still struggling to perfect the blown diffuser technology Red Bull introduced at the start of this year. Ferrari’s version has proven to work well over several races yet McLaren has had multiple difficulties getting the concept to work.
“While we believe our recent upgrades have given us a downforce improvement, it appears that the package hasn’t yet delivered to its full potential, particularly in terms of providing the drivers with a consistent, confidence-delivering platform,” Whitmarsh admitted.
Red Bull’s focus is now switched to their new ‘flexible’ front wing, which has sparked criticism from other teams despite passing all the FIA regulated tests. Red Bull’s technology and Ferrari’s speed are McLaren’s biggest stumbling blocks. At the Spa- Francorchamps race, however, a new front wing rigidity test will be implemented, and McLaren hopes it might force their rivals to revise their cars at the last minute, giving McLaren an upper hand.
Driver Jenson Button says stricter bodywork rules could benefit McLaren, but in the long run the team will have to improve if they want to challenge for the championship: “While we’re optimistic that the bodywork rules clarification will close the gap among the top teams, and that both Spa and Monza should suit our package better than the Hungaroring, it’s still important that we regain the momentum we’d reached earlier this season.”
Because of the summer break the team was unable to conduct significant development on the MP 4-25 but what they were able to complete Whitmarsh is pleased about. Further testing will take place at Spa- Francorchamps next weekend after which more updates are sure to follow.
“We were able to carry out some useful evaluative tests during practice in Hungary, which provided us with some useful data and avenues for experimentation,” explained Whitmarsh. “And we’ll take that programme further in Spa, running floor rakes during practice to supply us with more information.”
McLaren is eight points off the lead in the constructor’s standings headed by Red Bull. Ferrari is in third place, with Mercedes GP and Renault rounding out the top five. Button and teammate Lewis Hamilton are in second and fourth place respectively for the driver’s championship, while Red Bull’s Mark Webber is in first, his teammate Sebastian Vettel is in third, and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in fifth place. Alonso’s teammate Felipe Massa is in sixth place.
When McLaren went into the last Grand Prix race in Hungary they were leading the constructors’ championship, and Button and Hamilton were first and second respectively in the drivers’ standings. The weekend was the worst for McLaren all season, as Hamilton had to retire due to a gearbox issue and Button couldn’t’ finish better than eighth, and the team lost their lead in both categories.
"We head into the Belgian Grand Prix knowing we have some catching up to do," said Button. "We didn't have a particularly strong race in Hungary, and the whole team wants to get back to the front again as quickly as possible."
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