[BoomBully]

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standa...ton-in-2010.do
Martin Whitmarsh vows McLaren will be back on the button in 2010
McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh today warned his Formula One rivals that next year's car is already quicker than this year's model.
The British team recovered from a wretched start - 14 points from the first nine races - to take 57 points from the closing eight grands prix and clinch third place in the contructors' championship.
And, despite former world champion Lewis Hamilton's McLaren succumbing to a rear brake fault just 20 laps into yesterday's final race of the season at Abu Dhabi, Whitmarsh is looking forward to next season with optimism.
He said: "Work on next year's car is already very encouraging - it's already quicker than the current one.
"So there's every reason for us to be confident we'll be able to continue to develop and improve it significantlybefore the beginning of the 2010."

[Si8jy8HN]

Most teams who are developing the 2010 car will already have a car which is faster than the 2009 model. It means nothing.

[DF9sLGSU]

I believe that. Beyond the larger fuel tank, there aren't any major regulation changes next year, meaning that teams can simply evolve their 2009 cars. McLaren have a good baseline now, as evidenced by Hamilton's pole position at Abu Dhabi, and there no reason to suspect that Whitmash is wrong.

Whether it's faster than the opposition, that's a different question entirely!

[VogsHoock]

He's hardly going to say their new car is slower than their current car Most teams will say (publicly at least) that their new car will be quicker and that they're confident.

[Si8jy8HN]

Yep. I remember Tyrrell used to say every year that their car is much quicker this year and they expect to be finishing on the podium regularly. Then followed yet another year where they failed to score any points.

[KuRoregioNka]

Yep. I remember Tyrrell used to say every year that their car is much quicker this year and they expect to be finishing on the podium regularly. Then followed yet another year where they failed to score any points.

That is unkind!

[HaroldMY]

Sounds like a standard positive statement by an F1 team boss to me. I'm sure every team hopes their car is better than the opposition, and they certainly like the release psychological challenging statements to intimidate potential rivals.

[KuRoregioNka]

Sounds like a standard positive statement by an F1 team boss to me. I'm sure every team hopes their car is better than the opposition, and they certainly like the release phycological challenging statements to intimidate potential rivals.

Hey!! Henners is back!! Nice to see you here, fella!!

...............and I see Bezza lurking in the background!

[HaroldMY]

Hey!! Henners is back!! Nice to see you here, fella!!
...............and I see Bezza lurking in the background!

Thanks its nice to be back with a whole different approach after my week and half on the naughty step.

[BoomBully]

can they even run the car before the crash test ?
the crash tests are set for december

[KuRoregioNka]

can they even run the car before the crash test ?
the crash tests are set for december

Don't worry!! Piquet Jr is standing by!!

[NEronchik]

Most teams who are developing the 2010 car will already have a car which is faster than the 2009 model. It means nothing.

Off/Pre season is BS season.

Logically next season's car should be quicker than the previous season.

This year in pre-season testing Hamilton said this years car 'felt' quicker than last years but when it came into the nitty gritty the A-spec car was a piece of turd.

[Rx-Ultram]

I believe that. Beyond the larger fuel tank, there aren't any major regulation changes next year, meaning that teams can simply evolve their 2009 cars. McLaren have a good baseline now, as evidenced by Hamilton's pole position at Abu Dhabi, and there no reason to suspect that Whitmash is wrong.

Whether it's faster than the opposition, that's a different question entirely!

But fuel could throw many design constants out the window. How much more weight will cars have to carry to the grid? My very rough guess is 120-160 kg. Even cleverly distributed around a car's centers of gravity and downforce, that much weight will change a lot of performance parameters.

There will be many sleepless nights and much anxiety around design teams leading up to next season.

ClarkFan

[EzekelEnzino]

I believe that. Beyond the larger fuel tank, there aren't any major regulation changes next year, meaning that teams can simply evolve their 2009 cars.

Larger tank => longer wheelbase => different aerodynamics
Larger tank => different weight distribution
Different tires (both sizes and compounds) => different weight distribution
Different tires (both sizes and compounds) => different downforce distribution
Larger tank + Different tires => different suspension geometry in order to maximize tire lifespan

And I'm sure that there are some other areas that will be greatly influenced by the rule changes that aren't minimal at all and make using the 2009 cars as a base pretty much useless.

[russmodel]

Thanks its nice to be back with a whole different approach after my week and half on the naughty step.

Naughty step? Pino made me sit on a chair facing the corner

[HaroldMY]

Naughty step? Pino made me sit on a chair facing the corner

Ha ha we can only guess who got the dunce cap in that case...)

[russmodel]

Ha ha we can only guess who got the dunce cap in that case...)

So what did you do whilst being banned? Did you read the threads calling for the release of the Button/Brawn Six? I was quite flattered

[gooseCile]

IMO Whitmarsh's comment is far more reasonable than Horner's treat that even if they are late on development, Newey will be enough to make them frontrunners.

[EzekelEnzino]

So what did you do whilst being banned? Did you read the threads calling for the release of the Button/Brawn Six? I was quite flattered

Man, it looks like I missed a lot of fun.

[russmodel]

Man, it looks like I missed a lot of fun.

Well you were free to look if you'd wanted to