McLaren is not yet ready to roll out a Mercedes-style ‘F-duct’ to complement its highly competitive 2012 car.

Despite Mercedes struggling with tyres in the actual races so far, the W03 is a standout qualifying performer, thanks in part to the so-nicknamed front and rear ‘super-DRS’ system.

Red Bull, Lotus and perhaps even Ferrari are threatening to protest, but until now McLaren – with arguably the dominant package of the 2012 season so far – has stayed out of the argument.

“We don’t have a strong view one way or the other,” technical director Paddy Lowe confirmed during the regular Vodafone media teleconference on Tuesday.

The F-duct will remain a hot topic in China this weekend, with Lotus’ technical boss James Allison believed to be armed with two new arguments against its legality.

It was thought McLaren was quite advanced with its own version of the system.

But Lowe revealed: “Until we’ve got clarity it’s difficult for us to commit a huge about of effort in that direction. So that’s where we are at the moment.”

He steered away from suggestions Mercedes, including boss Ross Brawn, have flouted the “spirit” of the recent F-duct ban.

“There’s no such thing as the spirit of the rules,” insisted Lowe, admitting that if there was a ‘spirit’ of the DRS rule, the Mercedes system is “definitely” in breach.

“The debate around whether they can keep that system on the car is not about whether it is in that spirit or not, it’s about whether the text of the regulations means they can’t,” he explained.

 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.

McLaren has rejected any claims it has fallen behind in the development of its 2011 car.
It had emerged that that the Mercedes powered MP4-26 would not get its maiden run until after an interim 2010 car contests the opening group test at Valencia.

But Paddy Lowe, the British team’s engineering director, said during a teleconference on Thursday that McLaren sees its plans as “optimal”.

“It’s always been in our plans to launch it after the first test,” he said.

“One of the reasons was we wanted to make use of the first test to work with the car as a stable and known platform while we understood the new (Pirelli) tyres,” added Lowe.

“It also gave us a bit more time in the programme for the new car.”

One theory about McLaren’s approach is that the 2011 car features some key innovations that the team either wants to spend more time perfecting or shield from its rivals for as long as possible.

McLaren pioneered the so-called F-duct last year that was ultimately copied by almost every team.

“Yes, there will be some new elements,” team boss Martin Whitmarsh admitted to F1′s official website, “but as you can imagine I’m not prepared to add more detail at the moment!”

Hermann Tilke on Wednesday sounded confident the newly laid track surface at Yeongam will survive this weekend’s inaugural Korean grand prix.

With the top layer so recently laid and oils still seeping to the surface, it is feared this event could be a repeat of Spa in 1985, when the F1 cars had to go home because the track broke up.

But Tilke, the architect who designed the 5.6km layout, said he is not worried about the strength of the surface.

Instead, he predicted it will be a challenge for the drivers.

“It will probably have little grip in the beginning.  But they are the best drivers in the world and must cope with it,” the German, whose company provided machinery and expertise for the laying of the asphalt, told DPA news agency.

“It will be very slippery in the beginning.  But the track will become faster by the seconds until Sunday,” he added.

Also sounding bullish on Wednesday was McLaren’s chief engineer Phil Prew, who had worried about the state of the brand new asphalt before arriving in Korea.

“I walked the circuit this morning and the track surface didn’t look too bad,” he told reporters during a teleconference.

“It wasn’t particularly greasy underfoot and it looked – from what you can tell – smooth, well-laid and consistent all the way around,” added Prew.

McLaren has modified the floor of its 2010 car to conform to new floor flexibility tests introduced this weekend at Monza.

Ironically for the British team, the FIA devised the new tests amid shrill complaints about the allegedly flexible Red Bull and Ferrari cars.

“The new offset load test is a little challenging,” admitted Tim Goss, chief engineer for the MP4-25 car, during a team teleconference on Wednesday.

“We’ve had to make some minor modifications just to make sure we’re well inside the deflection limits.

“We’ve taken the opportunity to roll it up into a minor performance upgrade as well,” he revealed.

The first wave of new tests debuted at Spa-Francorchamps two weeks ago, where McLaren figures observed that they thought the Red Bull was not flexing as much as it had previously.

Goss, who said McLaren did not need to modify its front wing at all, thinks the Red Bull will also be affected by the Monza floor tests.

“I think as far as the offset bib test is concerned, I would expect most teams would have had to have made changes to comply with that,” he said.

“As far as articulated planks are concerned, there are a number of teams who run floor skids in multiple pieces and I imagine other teams will have to make modifications for that,” added Goss.

He thinks this weekend’s Italian grand prix will be hotly contested.

“I think most people would say we’re unlikely to see Red Bull Racing with the substantial advantage they had at the Hungarian grand prix,” Goss concluded.  “I bet Monza will be very tight.”

McLaren on Wednesday would not confirm reports its F-duct innovation will be removed from the MP4-25 ahead of the forthcoming Italian grand prix.

It was reported that, because the concept is designed to boost straight-line speed by shedding rear wing drag on the straights, it will be inefficient at Monza due to the minimal downforce configuration of the cars there.

“I read that on Monday morning and there were a few of us raising our eyebrows,” McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale told reporters during a Vodafone teleconference.

“We have the option to either run it or not. I think at the moment we are just looking at all the options. It is incorrect to assume we can make any decisions (yet) as to whether we are (going to use the F-duct at Monza) or not,” he added.

Neale said a final decision will be made after studying data from this weekend’s Spa-Francorchamps event.

He also revealed that, after Red Bull dominated in Hungary amid the flexible wing saga, McLaren is still no closer to understanding the phenomena at the front of the RB6.

In a team preview, McLaren said it is “optimistic the bodywork rules clarification will close the gap” at Spa this weekend.

But Neale said on Wednesday: “I’ve read the trade magazines, I’ve seen the footage. We can’t explain, at McLaren, why the (flexing) cars operate in the way that they do.”

Jul.7 (GMM) McLaren has urged formula one against making a knee-jerk reaction to the safety car rules.

Although Ferrari cried foul after Lewis Hamilton’s drive-through penalty in Valencia – where multiple drivers were also penalised for transgressions – Mark Webber said this week that Red Bull saw the events of the race as “normal”.

And although the Sporting Working Group is looking at the rules as a response to the Ferrari-powered controversy, McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale said on Wednesday: “I would be wary of knee-jerking.

“There wasn’t a lot wrong with last weekend (Valencia) and I don’t think we should be doing instant rule-making,” he told reporters during a teleconference.

Meanwhile, after Williams said it will test a blown rear exhaust for its car early this weekend, Neale confirmed that a similar approach will be taken by McLaren at Silverstone.

“If the drivers think it’s good it will stay on and we’ll run it,” he said, after the upgrade for the MP4-25 was tested during a straightline session.

“If not, we’ll continue to develop it.”

Neale also backed Red Bull boss Christian Horner’s view that the effect of the exhaust concept has been overstated.

“I would tend to agree that it’s not a case of bolt on your blown diffuser and then blow everybody into the weeds,” he said.

McLaren on Wednesday confirmed reports a Red Bull-style exhaust layout will debut on the MP4-25 at Silverstone.

Several teams are embarking upon a similar approach, with designers working to install low-mounted exhausts that allow air to flow more efficiently into the double diffuser.

The benefit, with also the fast-moving exhaust fumes channelled through the diffuser, is believed to be up to half a second per lap.

“We’ll be doing trials at an aerodynamic test before Silverstone and hope to have it working on the practice sessions and race it on the Sunday,” engineering director Paddy Lowe told reporters during a teleconference.

He admitted that the biggest challenge is equipping the suspension and bodywork to withstand being “blasted” by hot engine fumes, and rued that Ferrari has managed to have its version ready for this weekend’s Valencia race.

“That is a concern,” answered Lowe when told Ferrari’s step forward could be half a second per lap.

“We’ll have to see how they get on with it.  It’s a shame that some others have been slightly quicker than we were getting it, but we are where we are,” he added.

(GMM)

Jun.8 (GMM)  Lewis Hamilton on Tuesday admitted he is wearing a smile while travelling to Canada for this weekend’s eighth round of the world championship.

It could be said that the 2008 world champion inherited the win in Turkey recently, but it was his pressure on the Red Bulls that preceded the now famous Mark Webber/Sebastian Vettel crash.

Until Istanbul Park, pundits were predicting a Red Bull-walkover for the balance of the 2010 calendar, but Turkey showed that McLaren are back on the pace.

And with a powerful Mercedes engine and the F-duct, the long straights of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve could see the British team out in front.

“It will be difficult not to be smiling during the whole flight to Montreal,” Hamilton said in an interview with Germany’s Speedweek.

“I am convinced that we are in a good position now.  The car is running reliability and fast, and the track is tailor-made for it,” the 25-year-old added.

During a media teleconference on Tuesday, boss Martin Whitmarsh also sounded bullish about McLaren’s chances.

“(Canada) ought to be where we are quick,” he told reporters, agreeing that Valencia should also suit the MP4-25.

“The Red Bull is still very strong in long high-speed corners.  Fortunately the next two grands prix don’t feature a lot of those, so we hope that we’ll be strong.”

Jun.8 (GMM)  An engineer was wrong to tell Lewis Hamilton that his teammate Jenson Button would not overtake during the recent Turkish grand prix.

A video edit of the Istanbul Park race released by F1′s official website revealed that Phil Prew, the British team’s principal engineer, answered ‘No Lewis, no” when Hamilton asked if Button would overtake him.

Conspiracy theorists interpreted the news as 2009 world champion Button having ignored a veiled team order.

But team boss Martin Whitmarsh explained on Tuesday: “Phil gave an opinion to Lewis, and as it turned out his opinion was wrong.  It’s as simple as that.

“They were being told to look after fuel, (and) as a consequence of that Phil Prew had the opinion that Jenson wouldn’t overtake,” he told reporters during a teleconference.

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.

Fernando Alonso has refused to echo the McLaren drivers’ claims that traffic is set to make Monaco a “disaster” and “nightmare” this weekend.

With four more cars than in 2009 on the grid this season, and six very uncompetitive runners, it is feared that congestion around the famous barrier-lined 3.3 kilometre street layout will be potentially dangerous.

David Coulthard wrote in his latest column for the Telegraph that it is a “serious issue”, with the slow cars potentially posing “a risk both to themselves and others”.

But Alonso said on Tuesday that traffic was “already a problem when we had 20 cars on track”.

The Spaniard wrote on his Ferrari blog that “we must try and look at this situation as an extra challenge, both for us drivers … and for the engineers, who will have to work out just the right moment to send us out on track in qualifying”.

McLaren boss and FOTA chairman Martin Whitmarsh said he advocated splitting the initial Q1 qualifying phase into two parts, but that proposal was voted down in Barcelona last weekend.

He predicts a “very difficult” weekend for all.

“It has always been difficult but with more cars and a greater performance differential, I think there will be controversy,” the Briton told reporters during a teleconference on Tuesday.

(GMM)

Martin Whitmarsh has confirmed that a failed wheel rim caused Lewis Hamilton to crash on the penultimate lap of last weekend’s Spanish grand prix.

Shortly after the Briton’s sudden tyre deflation, the McLaren team boss speculated that “debris” rather than an actual tyre problem probably caused the accident.

Bridgestone’s initial analysis was similar, but it did not stop some pundits from hinting that Hamilton’s aggressive driving style might have been a contributing factor.

But the damaged parts were returned to Woking for analysis on Monday, and Whitmarsh confirmed on Tuesday that a wheel rim failure looks the likely cause.

“The rim failure is being investigated,” he told reporters during a teleconference.

“It could be debris related, it could be an issue of deflection, or it could be a lack of tightness in the wheel nut, which allowed some flexing.

“What we know is the rim failed, probably human error somewhere in the process caused it, and that led to a deflation and the accident,” Whitmarsh added.

Jamie McMurray is somewhat digesting Sunday’s Daytona 500 victory with the help of the great number of interviews he has given.

But the signs of appreciation must soon give way to the task of adding to it, particularly running well on the intermediate-length tracks that make up the bulk of the Sprint Cup schedule.  Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway (2-mile track) in Fontana, Calif., begins a three-race run at 1.5- to 2-mile tracks, and McMurray aims to add to his breakthrough 2002 win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

With experience from Dodge and Ford, he’ll copy the Chevrolet setup used by Earnhardt Ganassi Racing teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, who mostly ran well on those tracks last year in making the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Most of McMurray’s success at Auto Club came in his first stint with Ganassi with four top-10s in five starts; 13 starts have resulted in an average finish of 16.4.

“It will be important to run well this weekend,” he said during a teleconference. “That’s honestly a really good track for me. I haven’t been in one of their cars on a mile-and-a-half.

“I expect to get to Fontana, be able to unload with the setup that Juan ran last year and be really close.  Juan Pablo Montoya ran great there last year (11th and third).”