McLaren Mercedes today presented the MP4-23, the teams 2008 Formula One car, at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Daimler Board, and Ron Dennis, Chairman and CEO of the McLaren Group, welcomed all the guests to the official presentation, with Lewis Hamilton, who celebrates his 23rd birthday today, and Heikki Kovalainen joined on stage by Pedro de la Rosa and fellow test driver Gary Paffett to unveil the MP4-23. The car was completed yesterday and left the McLaren Technology Centre in the UK at around 18:00 GMT on Sunday and was driven in a Mercedes-Benz Actros to the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, having covered approximately 1000kms, arriving around 10:00 this morning. Upon arrival in Stuttgart, the car was transported to the 53,000 sqm Mercedes-Benz Museum, one of the worlds largest and most renowned car museums. About 700 Mercedes-Benz employees from the nearby manufacturing plant Stuttgart-Untertürkheim had the opportunity to attend todays event at the end of their early shift alongside the more than 400 media and other guests. The Mercedes-Benz employees had the opportunity to enter a draw of which the lucky winners were able to meet and spend some time with Hamilton and Kovalainen. Cliquez ici... Following todays event the car will be transported to the Circuito de Jerez in Southern Spain, where on Wednesday Kovalainen and de la Rosa will start the test programme with two MP4-23 chassis at a private test. The team will remain at the circuit for five track days, excluding the weekend. Hamilton will drive the 2008 car for the first time on Thursday alongside Kovalainen. p/s : the car has a weird front wing, almost basic i would say, and that no 23..
I love the livery on the McLaren car, best looking car on the grid, imho (flame suit ON!) http://www.mclaren.com/mediaroom/launch-photography.php http://www.mclaren.com/mediaroom/presspack08/online/en/index.php http://www.motorsport.com/photos/select.asp?S=F1&E=McLaren_Mercedes_MP4/Presentation&Y=2008
I think it looked better in silver & black, as in the Mika era. The chrome & red look of today just doesn't look right to me for some reason, had they gone with just silver and red, may have been a better choice.
The livery may be fine, but modern F1 cars look like Rube Goldberg on acid designed them.....UGGG-LY.
Is it just me or does he look like Beavis from the Beavis and Butthead cartoon? Image Unavailable, Please Login
Looks like they switched wheel manufacturers, too. They used to run OZ Racing wheels, now they're on Enkei.
The nose of the new McLaren front wing looks a bit like that of the Toro Rosso's from 2006... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Putting the tires(tyres) on backwards makes them look like the fools that they really are. If I was a sponsor, I would be having second thoughts with all the blundering these guys have done. It just dosnt stop.
Isn't it amazing how such blundering fools have managed to be one of the best teams in F1 for many years?
Sorry Autocourse disagrees with you, I just double checked every volume from 1996 -present and it lists Enkei as the wheel supplier and the wheels are clearly Enkei. Williams, Benetton/Renault, Jordan were big OZ teams, but McLaren has used Enkei since at least 1996, Autocourse does not list wheel manufacturers prior to 1996.
