The famous Formula 1 team and motor manufacturer are reunited for the upcoming season. This is the new McLaren-Honda MP4-30 which was unveiled on the team’s social media network.
The Woking-based outfit hopes that progress in its design structure, as well as its new relationship with Honda, can help Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso move back to the competitive end of the grid.
The silver, red and black race car features a long low nose design without the thumb extension seen on the Williams FW37 – and a tightly packaged rear end around the new power unit.
It also features a split roll-hoop inlet. The MP4-30 has been heavily influenced by chief engineer Peter Prodromou, who arrived at McLaren from Red Bull Racing.
Honda is returning to Formula 1 after a six-year absence, and is renewing a relationship with McLaren that delivered multiple victories and world titles from 1988 to 1992.
Honda’s motorsport chief Yasuhira Arai said that the design of the MP4-30 was one of no-compromise as the Japanese manufacturer bid to make a success of its return.
“As you can see with the new MP4-30, we’ve dedicated ourselves as one team with McLaren to creating a new car that compromises on nothing – either power or aerodynamics,” he said.
“Yet, in the midst of the excitement, both myself and our engineers are 100 per cent focused in both Sakura and Milton Keynes to prepare for Jerez and beyond. We’re confident that the technology is there, and I’m looking forward to see how it will perform.
“We’re about to commence a long season, with numerous challenges, but Honda is determined to face them head-on. After all, we’re here to drive Formula 1’s technology forward and give our fans a thrilling ride.”
With Fernando Alonso back to McLaren after a period with Renault (2008-2009) and Ferrari (2010-2014), the double world champion hope that this car can deliver that third title. As for Jenson Button, this is a great opportunity for him to remain commitment to the sport despite the off-season rumors of retirement.
It’s going to be a fascinating to see if this experience world champion partnership, along with the Honda engine, will return back to the glory days. Huge expectations is on everyone at McLaren to succeed and win that elusive championship this season.
The McLaren-Honda MP4-30 is the end result of the team’s new design philosophy. Autosport.com reports.
Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button are set to benefit from an all-new Formula 1 design philosophy that McLaren has embraced for 2015.
With aerodynamic performance so critical in F1, McLaren traditionally chased peak downforce figures in its quest for success.
But while maximum downforce has its benefits, it can result in teams producing a car that, while showing good figures in the wind tunnel, cannot replicate them on track.
That can lead to a car that performs inconsistently, or that the downforce only exists within a very narrow operating window.
This is something McLaren has experience of, which is why its car has often run with very stiff settings in a bid to try to find performance that it feels is theoretically there.
The arrival of chief engineer Peter Prodromou from Red Bull last year has served as a force for change on this front, and his views on taking a new approach have been embraced by McLaren.
The priority is no longer in pursuing theoretical peak downforce figures – it is about achieving maximum useable downforce.
In simple terms, being able to use 100 per cent of 700kg of downforce is better than only being able to use 80 per cent of 750kg.
McLaren racing director Eric Boullier said after the unveiling of the new McLaren MP4-30 that chasing peak figures that cannot be replicated on track is now a thing of the past.
“This concept of driver friendly, it is maybe new – and part of this new philosophy,” explained the Frenchman.
“We are trying to make sure we can give our drivers the ability to exploit the car to the limits, which means getting this performance package.
“If you have a performing car and a driver cannot drive it, then it is obviously a waste.
“We want to make sure our drivers can drive the car to the limit, which means we will exploit to the limit. And this is where the new philosophy is turning to.”
As well as the philosophy overall, there have been further engineering revamps in terms of car packaging.
It’s something that even Jenson Button has noticed as he embarks on his sixth season with the team.
“This year’s car is very different to the last two years,” he said.
“The mechanics say everything just fits, rather than different departments building different bits of the car and then putting it together.”
Boullier added: “Some people on the shop floor are happy to say that this is one of the most exciting and best built cars from McLaren.
“But we have to stay obviously grounded. We need to see what is going to happen, what is our performance, and how successful we will be.”
McLaren expects to bring upgrades to its MP4-30, which did not appear on the launch specification model, to the first test in Jerez this weekend.
There will also be another development step for the first race in Australia.
The 2009 world champion has no concerns over his McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso’s driving style. Autosport.com has the story.
Jenson Button reckons the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 team will benefit from pairing him with Fernando Alonso in 2015, because they prefer similar car characteristics.
This will be the first season Alonso and Button have been team-mates in F1 since 2002, when Button raced for Renault and Alonso was the team’s test driver.
There had been suspicions that they would have contrasting car preferences for their respective driving styles, which could hinder development of the new MP4-30.
However, Button reckons early simulator running at McLaren’s Woking base suggests he and Alonso will want similar things from the McLaren-Honda MP4-30.
“From the data I’ve seen from the simulator and the feedback I get from Fernando, I think we like a similar car, which is very important in terms of shaping and moulding the car in a certain direction,” said Button during the team’s online launch.
“I’m looking forward to the partnership – hopefully it will be a good one.”
McLaren has opted for the most experienced driver line-up on the grid by pairing Alonso and Button.
Button reckons that experience will be vital in accelerating Honda’s development, having joined the current V6 hybrid turbo formula a year later than its rivals.
“Fernando is a very experienced driver and a very complete driver – as you would expect from a double world champion,” Button added.
“It’s great for me. I love having a team-mate that pushes me hard but also has the experience to give great feedback.
“Having a younger driver in the team is exciting, but I would always prefer an experienced team-mate because you never stop learning in Formula 1.
“Fernando and I have raced for many different teams and we come together with all this experience that can really help the team grow.”
As for Fernando Alonso, the double world champion promises to be patience following the launch of the team’s new car. Autosport.com has the details.
Fernando Alonso says he and McLaren are ready to be patient over any early teething-troubles with its new Formula 1 car because he is confident success will come eventually.
McLaren released images of its new Honda-powered MP4-30 on Thursday, ahead of its first track running at Jerez in Spain on Sunday.
The car is the first McLaren-Honda F1 car since 1992, and Alonso will be the first man to drive it.
Having returned to McLaren with the sole intention of grabbing a title, Alonso says motivation is high, but he is equally realistic that there may be early difficulties to overcome first.
“Of course, we’re prepared for a steep learning curve, but it’s clear to see that inside McLaren-Honda there’s total commitment, and a real change in feeling, as we start this new partnership,” he explained.
“Our first target will be to learn the maximum from the car at the pre-season tests, understand the package, and extract as much performance as possible. That won’t be easy or trouble-free, but we’re ready for that.
“Why? Because our key focus will be on development. Historically, McLaren has already been characterised by its ability to bring updates to the car quickly, and develop a strong package.”
Team-mate Jenson Button agreed that McLaren’s renewed motivation amid Honda’s return has not blinded it to the huge gap that still needs closing to the front of the grid.
“You can really sense a feeling of reignited optimism and positivity around the building,” he said.
“I’ve never seen such motivation amongst the guys – we’re all massively keen to get going in Jerez and to work hard on developing our new car.
“But we’re under no illusion that it will be easy – there’s a huge challenge ahead of us to try to pull back the gap to our rivals, but we’re certainly up for it.
“We ended last season with great momentum and clear progress, and I’m determined to carry that forward into 2015.”
New stories on the McLaren launch:
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2015/1/16782.html
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2015/1/16783.html
http://www1.skysports.com/live-blog/12433/9685853/mclaren-mp4-30-launch
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/31036093
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/01/29/alonso-braced-teething-troubles-jerez/
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/01/29/button-says-alonso-like-similar-car/
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/01/29/first-picturesnd-video-mclaren-mp4-30-revealed/