McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh is confident his team will not lose out by launching its car after the first round of testing in Valencia.
The 2011 McLaren will be launched on February 4 in Berlin, the day after the first pre-season test ends in Spain. The team will bring an interim car to Valencia to ensure it does not miss out on crucial mileage on the new Pirelli tyres, but the new car will not hit the track until February 10 in Jerez.
"The MP4-26 is on schedule and will be launched on February 4, after which it will go through the normal testing processes," Whitmarsh told Formula1.com. "We feel that timetable is optimal with regard to providing Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton with the best possible package for the first race in Bahrain. And that will be just the beginning of a progressive and rigorous development programme that will continue right up until the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 27."
This year KERS and moveable rear wings have been added to the technical regulations, giving teams several new challenges. However, Whitmarsh hinted at some unique developments on the McLaren that will make the MP4-26 stand out from its rivals.
"There are new regulations for 2011 - and the MP4-26 will not only adhere to them but it will also sport a few fresh design features in response to the opportunities presented by those new regulations," said Whitmarsh. "So, yes, there will be some new elements, but as you can imagine I'm not prepared to add more detail at the moment!"
He added that his team is very confident it will be a championship challenger in 2011.
"Vodafone McLaren Mercedes' mission is a unilateral one: to win," Whitmarsh said. "We won five grands prix last year, including three one-two finishes, and we came second in the constructors' championship, significantly ahead of our traditional rivals, Ferrari. But although many teams would be more than satisfied with that performance, we weren't and aren't.
"As I say, our mission is to win, and winning five Grands Prix and coming second in the constructors' championship doesn't constitute enough of a win for us. It goes without saying that this year we aim to do better. As ever, it's impossible to make firm predictions, but we think we're on course to be competitive. Having said that, we never underestimate our opposition and we're sure they're working every bit as hard as we are."
Source: ESPNF1
