29.01.2010
The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team today revealed its brand new MP4-25 chassis - the car in which reigning world champion Jenson Button and 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton will contest the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
Unveiled at Vodafone UK´s stunning headquarters in Newbury, the 2010 car looks noticeably different from last year´s race-winning MP4-24. 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.
2009 World Champion Jenson Button and 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton presenting the new MP4-25
Horsepower once again comes from our friends in Stuttgart. Mercedes-Benz´s FO 108X V8 subtly improves upon an engine that has become the benchmark in Formula 1, winning the last two drivers´ world championships.
The team kicks off its 2010 campaign with a stunning 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.
Jenson Button: "I´m incredibly proud to be standing here today knowing I´ll be carrying the number one for the whole season: that´s a great responsibility but also a great honour. It´s something I´m relishing.
"From the very first day of testing, I´ll be working with the team to learn about the car and to develop it ahead of the first race. I´ve said it before: the pace of development in those opening tests could well determine the outcome of the championship.
"I´ve got a great team around me, and I already feel very at home here. I just can´t wait to get in the car and start driving again. It really can´t come soon enough!"
Lewis Hamilton: "I´ve seen just how much effort and attention has gone into making this car what it is. We´ve been pushing like crazy to find the performance and the result is something that looks very special and very uncompromising.
"Both Jenson and I are world champions, and we both want to add to the team´s incredible winning legacy. I think a strong driver line-up will be very important this year as there are a lot of very competitive teams and drivers - and the stronger we can be, the better chance we´ll have of winning races. We all understand that.
"Obviously, I want to win the drivers´ world championship, that´s clear. But, just as important, I want to help the team win the constructors´ world championship. I think it´s set to be a great year for Formula 1 - it should be brilliant."
Martin Whitmarsch Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: "At Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, we´ve demonstrated that strength in depth is the best approach to take in Formula 1. The group of engineers, designers and strategists we´ve assembled demonstrates how much can be achieved by a very focused team operating at the very limit of their abilities.
"In Jenson, we saw a champion driver hungry for more success. We´ve already seen those qualities in Lewis, too. I´m convinced that we have one of the very strongest driver line-ups in Formula 1, and that both Jenson and Lewis are committed to working together to enhance the team´s prospects in what promises to be a fiercely competitive season."
David Wheldon Vodafone Global brand director & CEO of VIM: "As we enter into the fourth season of this partnership, we will continue to create real engagement with our customers, utilising the unique opportunities the team partnership delivers, through a powerful integrated marketing platform. With the 2010 season starting, we welcome newly crowned world champion Jenson Button and wish all the team a successful 2010 season."
