NEWS // 2010 McLAREN MP4-25 UNVEILED

Today saw the second F1 launch in as many days, as the chassis that will carry the hopes of current F1 world champion Jenson Button and former title holder Lewis Hamilton was revealed to the media.

Unveiled at Vodafone UK's headquarters in Newbury UK the 2010 car looks noticeably different from last year's race-winning MP4-24. The MP4-25 features a radical aerodynamic overhaul and a significantly larger fuel tank to take full advantage of this year's new regulations, and its design team is confident it has explored every possible avenue to maximise the car's performance.

Horsepower once again comes courtesy of Stuttgart. Mercedes-Benz's FO 108X V8 is said to subtley improve upon an engine that has become the benchmark in Formula 1, winning the last two drivers' world championships... [read more]

The team kicks off its 2010 campaign with an all British driver pairing: 2009 world champion Jenson Button and 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton. It is the first time since 1989 - when it ran Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna - that the team has fielded a joint-world champion driver line-up, and marks the first time in Formula 1 history that the sport's two most recent world champions have been partnered together.

However, the driver line-up represents only a fraction of the team's remarkable strength in depth. Members of the design team who contributed to the development of MP4-25 can also trace their involvement back through an incredible seven of the team's 12 drivers' world championships, five of the team's eight constructors' world championships and 112 of the team's 164 grand prix victories.

The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team begins pre-season testing with MP4-25 at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo on Monday.

Images and Info: Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes F1
Editorial: Neil Tozer