Mclaren launch their 2008 challenger

McLaren Mercedes today presented the MP4-23, the team’s 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 world’s largest and most renowned car museums. About 700 Mercedes-Benz employees from the nearby manufacturing plant Stuttgart-Untertürkheim had the opportunity to attend today’s 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.
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Following today’s 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

 

They put the tyres the wrong way???

 

LMAO! i just noticed that too...

maybe they're under pressure not to make it look like the Ferrari?

 

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.

 

What happened to Hekki's neck?
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Great looking car great colour.

 

Is it just me or does he look like Beavis from the Beavis and Butthead cartoon?
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AHAHAHAHHAH !!!!!!!!!!! Your right he does

 

HA!

The front spoiler looks a bit too......big?

 

Anyone else find it ironic that the MP4-23 wears the number 23

 

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...
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Only the Ferrari parts are red!

 

Hahaha...good call.

 

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.

 

I don't know exactly when they switched, but they have been running on Enkei wheels for a while now.

 

I also hear that the car's true designation is actually MP4-2007

 

I know they have been running on Enkei since at least 1996.

 

It's a massive front wing ,quite plain to see there after downforce.

 

Isn't it amazing how such blundering fools have managed to be one of the best teams in F1 for many years?

 

+100

 

No, they ran OZ wheels for a while.

 

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.