The British McLaren team today unveiled the MCL33, the car with which the Spanish Fernando Alonso and the Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne will contest the new Formula One season.
Predominantly papaya orange, the team’s historic color, along with the blue on the wings, is inspired by the first McLaren, which raced half a century ago. In addition, for the first time in its 52-year history, it incorporates a Renault engine.
At the controls of the MCL33 will be the two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who will play his fourth consecutive season with McLaren, and the Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne, who faces his second campaign in the category.
The philosophy behind the engineering of the MCL33 has been established by leveraging data from 2017 to carry out various improvements. Much of the work done on the MCL33 has focused on optimizing the packaging of the new Renault engine and incorporating the new Halo device, the team’s statement said.
“If we can build on the strengths of last year’s chassis and marry it with an improved power unit from Renault, we can take a step forward. The car looks great and well thought out, and I think the new colors are great; They attract a lot of attention, ”Alonso pointed out about his new car.
The Asturian driver has assured that he is eager to test the new vehicle. «This winter has given me the feeling of being shorter than usual as I have driven in a 24 hour race and have done several tests with sports cars. That said, I am really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car for the first time in three months.
“Seeing our new car, I am very excited but I am also apprehensive. I know how important this car is to the team and I hope it meets our expectations, “added Alonso.
Stoffel Vandoorne, who will be his teammate this season, was “eager” to test the new car.
“The arrival of the new car is always one of the most tense and exciting moments of the season. It is a very important car for everyone at McLaren; we know the need for him to do well, and we are all anxious to see how he performs in the first tests next week.
Vandoorne hopes “to have a couple of weeks of testing without shocks and go to Australia confident.”
“I have been training hard all winter and I feel as well prepared as possible to get behind the wheel again. I am fit and focused, but also relaxed, because I think we had a very productive winter and we have designed a very capable car, “he added.
For his part, Zak Brown, executive director of the McLaren technology group, has ventured that 2018 will be a year in which they will come “closer to the head.”
“The McLaren team was founded by a brave pioneer and that bravery has continued ever since. Whether with brave drivers, brave leaders, or brave fortune, this team has always fought. And we feel that 2018 will be the year that McLaren will move closer to the front, fighting with the other teams and drivers to improve our fortunes.
Brown has confirmed that the return to historical colors is not just a matter of nostalgia.
“Our return to the papaya orange body is not simply an emotional decision; It shows that we are listening to our fans, creating a stronger bond with them and the entire Formula One community.
The British team first used papaya orange in 1968, at a time when many nations competed in their national colors such as British Racing Green, French Racing Blue and Italian Rosso Corsa, Bruce McLaren chose papaya orange to make his team stand out. on the track.
The MCL33’s striking main color, Papaya Spark, and secondary colors, Burton Blue and Cerulean Blue, were developed together with McLaren partner AkzoNobel. Innovative coating systems supplied by the company have enabled the team to significantly reduce overall paint weight and reduce paint processing time by 50%.
“We want McLaren to be respected on and off the track, and this is a good first step towards that. We want to show everyone what makes this team special, be it our hobby or our collaborators – there is room for more sailors on this journey, “added Zak Brown.
Sporting director Eric Boullier also expressed his satisfaction at having a car of which “the whole team is proud”.
“The design, engineering and aerodynamics departments have done a great job creating a new car with a new power unit in a very short time. We have never looked for a shortcut to find a solution and the result of this is a well-finished car, “he stressed.
Boullier is aware that “it will not be easy to break with the hegemony that reigns in the head”, and affirms that “half of the peloton will be full of well-financed teams with much to prove”.
“We are humble about the challenge we face, but we feel that we have prepared well, that we have a good package that we can build on and that we are going to exploit as the season progresses, and we have two excellent drivers who are going to make a difference. in the races”.
“At McLaren we all have gasoline in our veins, it’s that simple. We are going to fight from the beginning and we are going to compete as hard as ever ”, he added.
Technically, the new MCL33 builds on last year’s car. The design team has focused on polishing the package, to make it “neater, simpler and more elegant.”
Under the body is a new power unit. “This change has been very important. Although the regulations say that the front and rear mounting of the engine has to be the same for each manufacturer, the layout of the engine and its architecture is very different from the past, “said technical director Tom Goss.
“The advantage of the Renault layout is that we can put the engine further forward but then the compressor is back, so you have to move the exhaust pipes forward without impacting the package,” Goss stressed.
The MCL33 will carry out a day of filming at the Navarra circuit (Spain) this Friday before facing the eight days of pre-season tests at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya next Monday. EFE
Predominantly papaya orange, the team’s historic color, along with the blue on the wings, is inspired by the first McLaren, which raced half a century ago. In addition, for the first time in its 52-year history, it incorporates a Renault engine.
At the controls of the MCL33 will be the two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who will play his fourth consecutive season with McLaren, and the Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne, who faces his second campaign in the category.
The philosophy behind the engineering of the MCL33 has been established by leveraging data from 2017 to carry out various improvements. Much of the work done on the MCL33 has focused on optimizing the packaging of the new Renault engine and incorporating the new Halo device, the team’s statement said.
“If we can build on the strengths of last year’s chassis and marry it with an improved power unit from Renault, we can take a step forward. The car looks great and well thought out, and I think the new colors are great; They attract a lot of attention, ”Alonso pointed out about his new car.
The Asturian driver has assured that he is eager to test the new vehicle. «This winter has given me the feeling of being shorter than usual as I have driven in a 24 hour race and have done several tests with sports cars. That said, I am really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car for the first time in three months.
“Seeing our new car, I am very excited but I am also apprehensive. I know how important this car is to the team and I hope it meets our expectations, “added Alonso.
Stoffel Vandoorne, who will be his teammate this season, was “eager” to test the new car.
“The arrival of the new car is always one of the most tense and exciting moments of the season. It is a very important car for everyone at McLaren; we know the need for him to do well, and we are all anxious to see how he performs in the first tests next week.
Vandoorne hopes “to have a couple of weeks of testing without shocks and go to Australia confident.”
“I have been training hard all winter and I feel as well prepared as possible to get behind the wheel again. I am fit and focused, but also relaxed, because I think we had a very productive winter and we have designed a very capable car, “he added.
For his part, Zak Brown, executive director of the McLaren technology group, has ventured that 2018 will be a year in which they will come “closer to the head.”
“The McLaren team was founded by a brave pioneer and that bravery has continued ever since. Whether with brave drivers, brave leaders, or brave fortune, this team has always fought. And we feel that 2018 will be the year that McLaren will move closer to the front, fighting with the other teams and drivers to improve our fortunes.
Brown has confirmed that the return to historical colors is not just a matter of nostalgia.
“Our return to the papaya orange body is not simply an emotional decision; It shows that we are listening to our fans, creating a stronger bond with them and the entire Formula One community.
The British team first used papaya orange in 1968, at a time when many nations competed in their national colors such as British Racing Green, French Racing Blue and Italian Rosso Corsa, Bruce McLaren chose papaya orange to make his team stand out. on the track.
The MCL33’s striking main color, Papaya Spark, and secondary colors, Burton Blue and Cerulean Blue, were developed together with McLaren partner AkzoNobel. Innovative coating systems supplied by the company have enabled the team to significantly reduce overall paint weight and reduce paint processing time by 50%.
“We want McLaren to be respected on and off the track, and this is a good first step towards that. We want to show everyone what makes this team special, be it our hobby or our collaborators – there is room for more sailors on this journey, “added Zak Brown.
Sporting director Eric Boullier also expressed his satisfaction at having a car of which “the whole team is proud”.
“The design, engineering and aerodynamics departments have done a great job creating a new car with a new power unit in a very short time. We have never looked for a shortcut to find a solution and the result of this is a well-finished car, “he stressed.
Boullier is aware that “it will not be easy to break with the hegemony that reigns in the head”, and affirms that “half of the peloton will be full of well-financed teams with much to prove”.
“We are humble about the challenge we face, but we feel that we have prepared well, that we have a good package that we can build on and that we are going to exploit as the season progresses, and we have two excellent drivers who are going to make a difference. in the races”.
“At McLaren we all have gasoline in our veins, it’s that simple. We are going to fight from the beginning and we are going to compete as hard as ever ”, he added.
Technically, the new MCL33 builds on last year’s car. The design team has focused on polishing the package, to make it “neater, simpler and more elegant.”
Under the body is a new power unit. “This change has been very important. Although the regulations say that the front and rear mounting of the engine has to be the same for each manufacturer, the layout of the engine and its architecture is very different from the past, “said technical director Tom Goss.
“The advantage of the Renault layout is that we can put the engine further forward but then the compressor is back, so you have to move the exhaust pipes forward without impacting the package,” Goss stressed.
The MCL33 will carry out a day of filming at the Navarra circuit (Spain) this Friday before facing the eight days of pre-season tests at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya next Monday. EFE