McLaren MP4-22

                           


Fernando and Lewis, who form one of the youngest driver line-ups in the history of the sport, will unveil the new livery to an expected crowd of more than 150,000 on a bespoke circuit around the Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias in two MP4-21 race cars. This will be followed by the unveiling of the 2007 car, the MP4-22, which Fernando and Lewis will use to contest this year's Formula 1 World Championship.

The 2007 challengers will conduct a shakedown test at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, on Wednesday 17th January. The intensive pre-season testing programme will then commence on Wednesday 24th January at the same track.

Pedro de la Rosa and Gary Paffett join Fernando and Lewis to complete the driver line-up. Pedro and Gary, who are starting their fifth and second years with the team respectively, will continue to support the ongoing technical development of the MP4-22 package during the course of the year alongside Fernando and Lewis.

“This is a fantastic day for me - I am really proud to be introducing myself as a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver in my home country, and of course to help present my new team to the Spanish fans,” said double World Champion Fernando. “Although this is my first public event with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, I have already spent a lot of time with the team and my fellow drivers Lewis, Pedro and Gary, at the McLaren Technology Centre. It is a great team and I am excited about this new beginning. My fans are such an inspiration and it is great to bring the team so close to them. I hope they enjoy watching Lewis and myself drive the cars in their new livery around the streets of Valencia.”

For Lewis, today sees the realisation of a childhood ambition, “Growing up, I saw so many Formula 1 launches in the media, and to be here in Valencia to unveil the new Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team really brings home to me the distance I have travelled to achieve my dream of becoming a grand prix driver,” said Lewis. “There is still a long way for me to go, as I am at the early stages of my career and have a lot to learn, but the passion I have for the sport and this team is immense, I cannot wait to take to the grid in Australia in March. This year will be about firsts for me, starting with today and my first Formula 1 presentation and my first demonstration run. It will be great to take the cars onto the streets and I hope the fans like the new livery as much as I do!”

Ron Dennis, Team Principal of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Chairman and CEO of the McLaren Group added: “This is a very special moment as we officially unveil the team in Valencia today. Vodafone represents only the second title sponsor change in 30 years for the team – something which we as an organization are very proud of."

"McLaren and Mercedes-Benz have enjoyed a very strong relationship for the past 12 years and we are now looking forward to a successful future as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes," continued Ron. "We all want to win but how we win has always been very important to us and this value will remain the driving force behind our new partnership. In parallel we have developed a brand strategy which we hope will capture and project the youthful and dynamic spirit of the new team. In Fernando and Lewis we have two of the most exciting and talented drivers in Formula 1. They both have great potential to inspire others to push hard to achieve their dreams."

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Generalitat Valenciana and in particular the President Mr. Francisco Camps Ortiz and the Conseller Mr. Gerrado Camps Devesa for their support in making today’s event happen. For people to be motivated by something they have to really experience it, and this is what we aim to generate today in Valencia," said Ron.

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “Like DaimlerChrysler, our new partner Vodafone is a global company with more than 190 million customers worldwide. This clearly opens up new opportunities and perspectives in the area of communications for the team. With the 2007 line-up of double world champion Fernando Alonso and F1 newcomer Lewis Hamilton, we have both the youngest driver pairing on the starting grid and in the history of the team. Furthermore, when Fernando and Lewis make their debut for the team in the Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne, it will mark the tenth anniversary of the first McLaren-Mercedes F1 victory at the same circuit."

“Vodafone is delighted to be deepening our involvement in motor racing by becoming Title Sponsor and Official Mobile Partner of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team," said Arun Sarin, Chief Executive of Vodafone. "We are very excited about the opportunities the team will offer us to continue to build our brand. Motor racing is all about 'Making the most of Now' and similarly, we want all our customers both business and consumer to get the most out of their time. We wish the team all the best for the 2007 season,”

The event will also see the announcement of three new exclusive special edition consumer handsets from Samsung and Sharp to support the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team.

As Vodafone McLaren Mercedes moves into 2007, the team has welcomed new companies to its prestigious group of Corporate and Technology Partners, including aigo, Mutua Madrileña and Santander. “As we start the 2007 season, the team is benefiting from the valuable support of our world class Partner group and today extend our thanks to our existing sponsors,” said Ron Dennis. “With the likes of Santander, aigo and Mutua Madrileña joining us from this season, we have a Partnership portfolio that is unmatched in Formula 1 or indeed in the field of sports sponsorship.”

The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-22, raced by Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, features some advanced engineering concepts.

With some novel aerodynamic solutions, allied to unprecedented levels of efficiency in its crash structures, the car showcases the engineering strength in depth of McLaren Racing and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines.

Although Formula 1 teams are admired throughout industry for their leading edge technology and short development times, long-term planning has also been crucial in the construction of the MP4-22.

Its development period commenced before its predecessor the MP4-21 had even turned a wheel. Initial sketches of aerodynamic concepts and discussions over the design of the clutch and gearbox took place back in December 2005. During the design process, each of the car's 11,000 components were reviewed in meticulous detail in the quest for improved performance, reliability and efficiency.

The MP4-22 represents the latest research and development concepts. Initial ideas were developed with Computer Aided Design (CAD) in mid-March 2006, with the first Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations running later that month. The wind tunnel programme commenced in May.

The design also incorporates three demanding new pieces of crash protection legislation. A totally new rear crash structure is noticeably wider and blunter than its predecessor. An extra 6mm-thick laminated panel is now also required to be bonded to the side of the driver cell to guard against penetration from another car or object. Frontal protection for the driver has been improved too, with the velocity of impact in the crash test raised from 14 to 15 metres per second, with a softer deceleration both front and rear.

Other regulation changes that have impacted on the design process include the use of a homologated engine for 2007, and the switch to a single tyre supplier.

The construction and profile of the Bridgestone Potenza tyres have had an influence on the MP4-22's chassis dynamics and significantly the aerodynamics . The tyres affect the flow structures downstream of the front wheels, and the team's engineers have used CFD software – for the simulation of heat and fluid flow – to devise the optimum solution to harness the new rubber.

With such detailed simulation increasingly vital in Formula 1, the infrastructure, manufacturing capacity and technical tools available to the design team at the McLaren Technology Centre have played an important role. The MP4-22's development involved the generation of generation of 4,500 component and 3,500 tooling drawings, and the aerodynamics development is very demanding with a continuous program which requires an entirely new set of wetted surfaces for the launch car, with around a third being updated before the first race. This is followed up with new aero components being brought to the car every 3-4 weeks throughout the season.

Following the MP4-22's first test in January 2007, development will continue apace on the track and at the McLaren Technology Centre before it's race debut on Sunday 18 th March at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne , Australia .

vidi ga, oshisho se hihiihhhi

opet pretendiji za najlepsi bolid
ali, ima jedna mali problemcic tu
na cilju se ne gleda ko je lepsi, vec...

Slazem se skylineru ali ja mislim da ce i ove godine gledat u zadnje krilce Ferrarija ili mozda ljepse zvuci Kimi ce ih gledat u retrovizoru hehehehe

Bolid jako dobro izgleda sto jest jest, mada ja mislim da je ferrari jos uvijek jednom nogom ispred svih ostalih

ferrari je ferrari i uvijek ce biti korak ispred svih

Jel ovo krivac za sinosnju guzvu, sad ih bas nevolim

Vozilica je super...jos da hoce ici kako izgleda...eto novih sampiona???

i prosle godine je bio lijep, ali... ni jednu pobjedu nisu napravili.
valjda ce ove godine imati vise srece

Eh sad imaju Alonsa i novi bolid pa ce mo vidjet, svi bruje da ce ovu sezonu da budu opaki ali to su samo price i glasine, dok recimo u ferrariju se malo prica o neki stvarima znaci da ce da bude opasno po ostale tj nadam se da ce mo sve ekipe gledat u ferrarijevim retrovizorima ( jesam fanatik Ferrarija da mi sta ne zamjere ovi koji navijaju za druge ekipe, ali nadam se da mi shvatate kod mene je ferrari u srcu a i svi su mi ostali dragi ) s to se tice McLarenovog bolida stvarno je prelijep i stvarno slovi za jednog od najljepsih ali nadat se da ce ostvarit par pobjeda mislim dosta im dvi tri heheh sala mala podrav svim ljubiteljima F1