Contrary to recent speculation, McLaren does not yet have a Mercedes-style new F-duct on its dominant 2012 car.
When boss Martin Whitmarsh said in Melbourne that he would not be joining a theoretical protest against the Mercedes innovation, many suggested it was because the MP4-27 is already hiding something similar.

Not yet, although the FIA did take a long look at the silver car in Melbourne.

“If they were looking for an F-duct, we don’t have one,” Whitmarsh smiled to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

In fact, the scrutineers were checking and then re-checking the height of the MP4-27′s front wing.

But the F-duct might be coming.

“All the teams are going to be trying to extract the maximum within the permitted regulations,” confirmed managing director Jonathan Neale in a media teleconference this week.

But he also revealed that McLaren doesn’t yet “understand well enough” how the Mercedes system works.

Melbourne winner Jenson Button and his teammate Lewis Hamilton will therefore race a basically unchanged McLaren this weekend in Malaysia.

But Hamilton’s downbeat mood has been picked up with the news that he was beaten by Button from pole last Sunday due to a minor clutch issue.

“It wasn’t my fault,” said the Briton, “but we now understand and know how to improve in the future.”

As for their differing race performances, Hamilton insists he now understands “the reasons” for Melbourne “and it puts me in a really positive frame of mind” ahead of this weekend’s Malaysian grand prix.

Sunday in Hungary proved McLaren does not use team orders, according to Jenson Button.

Prior to winning his 200th grand prix, the 31-year-old engaged in a wheel-to-wheel, place-swapping duel with his teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Button said a few days ago that McLaren “does not have team orders”.

“Other teams will use them, but not us,” he added, apparently referring to Red Bull’s order that Mark Webber hold position behind Sebastian Vettel at Silverstone.

After Sunday’s race, Button said it was no surprise the McLaren pitwall kept out of the battle.

“No, I wasn’t surprised they let us fight,” he said. “We wouldn’t have listened anyway. If they had said ‘back off and sit behind your teammate’, it wouldn’t have happened.”

McLaren’s managing director Jonathan Neale confirmed the desire to sometimes protect a good team result.

But he insisted: “You have to let them go sometimes. We can get it wrong but when you have a race like that, you know you are right.”

McLaren’s race drivers have rubbished speculation they might soon have a new team boss.

The Woking based team’s managing director Jonathan Neale this week said rumours Martin Whitmarsh might lose his job was “part of the media circus” of a disappointing home performance at Silverstone recently.

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have now also publicly backed Whitmarsh amid rumours Ron Dennis might be looking to return to his post at the helm of the famous British team.

“There’s no chance of that,” Hamilton told the Daily Star when asked about reports of Whitmarsh’s possible demise.

“There is a better atmosphere within the team than there ever has been, it is constantly growing.

“I am certain there are no plans for him to go anywhere.”

Teammate Button agrees: “It was said people are unsure of his (Whitmarsh’s) position within the team, the engineers and mechanics. That’s absolute rubbish.”

A striking new front wing for McLaren’s 2010 car almost didn’t make it to the Singapore circuit at the weekend.

Managing director Jonathan Neale travelled from the team’s Woking headquarters to the Asian city-state with the brand new pieces in his luggage.

But Neale admits he began to worry when the new part did not emerge with his other luggage.

“First, one of Adrian Newey’s (Red Bull) parts came out, but not our case.

“Because the wing was packed so well, the guys at the airport thought it was equipment for the aircraft rather than luggage.  So they left it on the plane.

“We had to wait for a few hours to get it,” he explained.

The new front wing was visibly different to its predecessor, and credited for allowing Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button to split the Red Bulls in qualifying.

“It is a bit different,” Neale agreed.  “We haven’t seen its full potential yet.  On the fast circuits it should give us even more.”

The reaction has been mixed since F1 announced it is heading to Austin, Texas, for 10 consecutive United States grands prix beginning in 2012.

Britain’s Sun newspaper quoted Williams chief executive Adam Parr as saying: “We are a global sport and not having a race in America has been a big hole in the calendar. Our partners will be thrilled.”

But the announcement was short on detail, including where in the Texan capital the venue will be built, and why Austin can succeed where the likes of Donington failed.

McLaren’s managing director Jonathan Neale said in a teleconference on Wednesday: “I’d say it is fantastic news if it turns out to be true and if we can make it happen.”

One sceptic is Kevin Eason, correspondent for London’s The Times.

“This is one old formula one dog who was once bitten by Donington and is twice shy.”

And a blogger at former US GP host city Indianapolis’ Indy Star newspaper read: “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

The German news agency SID said the news had triggered “joy and doubt”.

Even the major Austin daily American-Statesman found the surprise news, which came hot on the heels of claims New York was closing on a deal, hard to swallow.

“Monte Carlo. Istanbul. Barcelona. Montreal. Austin? Maybe,” read a report.

The report added that “significant details” are yet to come, including the cost, the source of the funding, “and why would an Austin project succeed where others haven’t?”

The fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted F1 between 2000 and 2007, and spokesman Fred Nation said: “Some years we had the largest crowds of the year for formula one.

“From a spectator point of view, it was a success. At the end of the day, we could not make a business deal that made sense to us.”

The promoter of Austin’s F1 race is Tavo Hellmund, whose company Full Throttle Productions is largely unknown outside of Austin, and he admitted that land has not been bought but three sites are being considered.

A local race venue owner thinks Hellmund’s task is a huge one.

“I can tell you this facility cost about $250 million,” said Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage, referring to the venue used for NASCAR races.

“(An F1 track) would exceed that,” he added.