Contary to speculation, the launch model of McLaren’s 2011 car did not feature Renault-style front-exiting exhausts.
But leading figures of the Woking based team did not rule out the appearance of the innovation on the MP4-26 at some point between now and the start of the 2011 season.

Indeed, closer inspection of the car on display in the cold Berlin air on Friday showed some of the detail beneath the bodywork had been moulded in dummy plastic.

Engineering director Tim Goss admitted: “It won’t come as any real surprise or shock that the exhaust solution that you see on the car today is not what we intend to be testing or racing.”

He flagged some “novel solutions” to appear before Bahrain not only on the new McLaren but also the racers fielded by the team’s competitors.

“Be warned, you haven’t seen it all,” boss Martin Whitmarsh advised reporters in the German capital.

He said certain “bits and pieces” of the MP4-26′s eventual race specification have been “hidden from you and our competitors” for the launch.

There has also been speculation that Mercedes’ new W02 car will eventually feature the Renault-like exhaust exits near the sidepods.

“Before we get to Bahrain you’ll probably see a number of teams with different solutions to get the benefit from the exhaust energy,” admitted team boss Ross Brawn this week at the Valencia test.

“I saw Ferrari have some different options,” the Mercedes chief added.

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’s recently-departed chief engineer Pat Fry is heading to Ferrari.

It emerged last month that the 46-year-old Briton, who joined from Benetton in 1993, has left the Woking based team for an unknown destination.

Fry shared McLaren’s chief engineer role with Tim Goss, and was in charge of the 2011 car project.

Italian media sources on Sunday said Fry is headed to Ferrari, and will have an impact on the famous Maranello based team’s next car.

(GMM)

One of McLaren’s two chief engineers has left the Woking based team.

Pat Fry, who joined the team from Benetton in 1993, alternated the role with Tim Goss.  Last year, 46-year-old Briton Fry developed the MP4-24, and in 2010 he was in charge of the 2011 car.

It emerged during Thursday’s press conference at Monaco that Fry’s destination is currently unknown.

“I think it was probably good for him, the right decision for him to take a bit of a break, take a breather,” team boss Martin Whitmarsh told reporters.

He added that “someone younger” and “maybe hungrier” will likely replace Fry.

(GMM)