F1 News
Date: 31/January/2013
The McLaren F1 team kicked off its
50th anniversary celebrations with a parade of some of its most
famous machines, followed by the unveiling of this year’s 2013 F1 challenger.
Held at the futuristic McLaren
Technology Centre, the parade included a 1970s M8D CanAm sportscar, Emerson
Fittipaldi’s 1974 M23, Ayrton Senna’s 1988 MP4/4, the 1995 Le Mans-winning F1
GTR, Mika Hakkinen’s 1998 MP4-13 and Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 MP4-23.
Hamilton, of course, was not
present, having cut his long McLaren links for a new challenge at Mercedes. In
his place comes young Mexican star Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez, who will be partnering
Jenson Button.
Team principal Martin Whitmarsh
said: “Today’s parade was a thrilling
way to kick off our 50th anniversary celebrations and also our 2013 campaign -
but it’s a reminder of the tremendous responsibility everyone within the
McLaren Technology Centre shares to uphold the legacy began by Bruce McLaren
and taken on by Teddy Mayer and Ron Dennis.
“For 2013, of course, we go racing
to win. With Jenson and Checo, and this fantastic-looking new car, I believe
we’re extremely well prepared for another competitive season.”
McLaren state that the main
changes made for this year’s MP4-28, to give it its official name, are around the nose and front suspension,
the sidepod profiles and the rear bodywork.
Former World Champion Button is
preparing for his fourth season at McLaren. The Englishman took three wins on
his way to fifth in last year’s Championship, and believes McLaren have learnt
from the mistakes of 2012.
Button, 33, said: “We were
extremely strong throughout the whole of the 2012 season, but, for one reason
or another, we couldn’t quite pull it all together to challenge for the Championships.
“We’ll be working extremely hard
during the pre-season to ensure we go to the first race with bulletproof
reliability. Operationally, too, I think we’ve learned and developed from last
year, and that will help us run a much smoother and stronger campaign.
“This year’s car is the best we’ve
ever made - I know the engineers have left absolutely no stone unturned in
wringing every ounce of performance from every available area.”
Perez, 23, arrives at McLaren with
two years and three podiums under his belt at Sauber. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime
chance which the Mexican is eager to make the most of.
Perez explained his priorities as
follows: “Firstly, I’ll need to understand the different characteristics of the
car; secondly, I’ll learn how to best work with my engineers to make the car
suit my personal driving style. It’s going to be an interesting and exciting
journey.
“But I’m more prepared than I’ve
ever been for the start of a new season. I feel extremely fit, focused and
refreshed – there’s still a lot to do, but my aims are to feel confident,
comfortable and ready to race by the time I land in Australia in just a few
weeks’ time.”
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