On Friday McLaren revealed its 2010 Formula One car at a ceremony in Newbury at the headquarters of its main sponsor Vodafone with Drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, contesting for the 2010 FIA Formula 1 world championship.
According to the officials this year’s car is the most highly developed car they have ever built and McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh says that one can be confident but never absolutely confident as one never knows there might be some things that are new to them like the double diffuser., still he was very elated. The car presented is the one that will be rolled out for the tests to be conducted on the track and not the car that the team would race with.
McLaren has also planned an aggressive development programme ahead of the first race in Bahrain and the car commencing the season will be quite different in appearance than the presented car. This year the team focused more on sharing the work of the engineers with the driver and making the driver work with the team to bring a better output along with developing understanding. This year the confidence comes out from last season’s win as they turned a knowingly poor car into a winner developing more faith in the engineering staff.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS MP4-25
Chassis |
|
Monocoque | McLaren-moulded carbon fiber composite incorporating front and side impact structures |
Front suspension | Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pushrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement |
Rear suspension | Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pushrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement |
Suspension dampers | Koni |
Electronics | McLaren Electronic Systems control units incorporating electronics for chassis, engine and data acquisition. McLaren Electronic Systems also supplies the electronic dashboard, alternator voltage control, sensors, data analysis and telemetry systems |
Bodywork | Carbon fiber composite. Separate engine cover, sidepods and floor. Structural nose with integral front wing. Paint solutions provided by AkzoNobel Car Refinishes using Sikkens Products |
Tyres | Bridgestone Potenza |
Radio | Kenwood |
Race wheels | Enkei |
Brake calipers | Akebono |
Master cylinders | Akebono |
Batteries | GS Yuasa Corporation |
Steering | McLaren power-assisted |
Instruments | McLaren Electronic Systems |
Engine |
|
Type | Mercedes-Benz FO 108X |
Capacity | 2.4 liters |
Cylinders | 8 |
Maximum rpm | 18,000 |
Bank angle | 90° |
Piston bore maximum | 98mm |
Number of valves | 32 |
Fuel | ExxonMobil High Performance Unleaded (5.75% bio fuel) |
Spark plugs | NGK racing spark plugs specially designed for Mercedes-Benz F1 engine |
Lubricants | Mobil 1 – for higher performance, lower friction, better protection, cooling and wear resistance |
Weight | 95kg (minimum FIA regulation weight) |
Transmission |
|
Gearbox | McLaren-moulded carbon fiber composite. Integral rear impact structure |
Gears | Seven forward and one reverse |
Gear selection | McLaren seamless shift, hand-operated fly-by-wire |
Clutch | Carbon/carbon, hand-operated fly-by-wire |