McLaren unveil the MP4-23 in Stuttgart

AnniHilat0R · 7th January 2008, 21:42

The second launch of the season is up and its the main contenders of Ferarri: McLaren.

The McLaren driver, who turned 23 on the day of the launch, was on hand for the unveiling, together with his new team-mate Heikki Kovalainen and his McLaren team boss Ron Dennis.

More than 400 members of the media and other guests also pack the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, along with over 700 Mercedes-Benz employees from the nearby manufacturing plant Stuttgart-Untertürkheim.

The new car, which has already spent over 3000 hours being developed in the wind tunnel, is an evolution of the MP4-22 and as such there is no significant visual difference currently.

However, the team did announce that between now and the first race in Australia there are planned upgrades on most of the aerodynamic surfaces, wings, bodywork, bargeboards and additional bodywork components.

"Development of the MP4-23 began in earnest 10 months ago and everyone in Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart have worked very hard during the last few weeks, and particularly over the Christmas period, to make today's presentation here in Stuttgart happen," said McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh.

"In addition we have continued to benefit from tremendous support from all of our Technology Partners. We are confident, based upon the simulation and analysis which has been an integral part of the development process, that the MP4-23 represents a step forward.

"Of course we will continue to develop the car from now until the first race in Australia and see whether we have done enough to be at the level where we want to compete this coming season.

"From today we have 68 working days until the Australian GP, and everybody within the team is highly motivated to travel to Melbourne with the most competitive package possible."

Team boss Ron Dennis is also looking forward to challenging for the World title, which McLaren missed out on by one point last season.

"The ultimate goal of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team is to fight for both the Drivers' and Constructors' World Championships. We are looking forward to another competitive season as we look to build on the momentum of last year," he said.

"Every single member of the team has worked extremely hard since the end of the 2007 season to get the MP4-23 on track as soon as possible, to ensure we have the maximum amount of testing time available before the cars leave for Australia.

"We are all extremely pleased to have the opportunity to launch our new car at the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart underlining the strength of our partnership."

McLaren MP4-23 technical specification - engine:

Type
Mercedes-Benz FO 108V

Capacity
2.4 litre

No. of cylinders
8

Max. rpm
19,000 (FIA regulatory limit since 2007)

Bank angle
90 degrees

Piston bore maximum
98 mm (FIA regulation)

Bore spacing
106.5 mm

Number of valves
32

Fuel
Mobil 1 Unleaded (5.75% bio fuel)

Lubricants
Mobil 1, newly developed 2008 formula for lower friction and better wear resistance

Engine
95kg (minimum FIA regulation weight)

Transmission:

Gearbox Speeds
Seven forward and one reverse

Semi-auto
Yes

Driveshafts
McLaren

Clutch
Hand-operated

Chassis:

McLaren moulded carbon fibre/aluminium honeycomb composite incorporating front and side impact structures. Contains integral safety fuel cell

Front Suspension
Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pushrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement

Rear Suspension
Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pushrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement

Suspension Dampers
Koni

Electronics
McLaren Electronic Systems control units incorporating electronics for chassis, engine and data acquisition. McLaren Electronic Systems also supplies the electronic dash board, alternator voltage control, sensors, data analysis and telemetry systems

Bodywork Construction:
One-piece engine cover; separate sidepod covers; separate floor section, structural nose with integral front wing.

Tyres
Bridgestone Potenza

Radios
Kenwood

Race Wheels
Enkei

Batteries
GS Yuasa Corporation

Steering
McLaren power-assisted

Instruments
McLaren Electronic Systems

As McLaren unveiled their 2008 machine, the MP4-23, on Monday, the team also revealed some of key features of the car’s development and the technology behind it…

The first design meeting for the MP4-23 took place back in November 2006 with early layout work starting in March 2007.

Wind tunnel work commenced in late May 2007.

Since then the MP4-23 has spent over 3000 hours being developed in the wind tunnel.

The first MP4-23 chassis was ready for bonding in mid November 2007.

Lewis Hamilton, Pedro de la Rosa and Gary Paffett had their provisional seat fittings for the MP4-23 back in September 2007. Heikki Kovalainen was fitted for his seat shortly after being announced as a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver.

The car build process for chassis 1 began in early December 2007 and was finished in early January 2008.

Throughout the development process 150 different engineers have been involved in the whole project in all disciplines.

14000 engineering man hours have so far been put into the MP4-23 development project.

A similar number applies to the manufacturing man hours involved to produce the MP4-23 in time for its track debut on the 9th January 2008.

The MP4-23 is an evolution of the MP4-22 and as such there is no significant visual difference currently, however between now and the first race in Australia there are planned upgrades on most of the aerodynamic surfaces, wings, bodywork, bargeboards and additional bodywork components.

Alongside the development of the 2008 challenger, concept work has been started for the 2009 car since November 2007, with the KERS project (energy storage) beginning a year ago.

Source: Formula1.com & Planet-F1.com

BUSA · 7th January 2008, 23:53

Quote:

"In addition we have continued to benefit from tremendous support from all of our Technology Partners,

such as Ferrari

2020

krishnavamshi24 · 8th January 2008, 10:46

Mclaren is a the best team around the only one to challenge the ferrari...but my fav driver is KImi ..lets hope for a great fight repeat of 2007 would be great but alonso is not in the same team any more so lets see it may be a three way fight this time...

im_srini · 9th January 2008, 09:46

Sure, Ferrari & McLaren seem to be the class of the current f1 field, however it was not long ago that Renault gave both of them a run for their money. Other teams have had their day in the sun too, remember the awesome Rothmans Williams ? Nobody stays at the top for long, the Ferrari F1 team was a joke during the early 90's, & remember the pathetic McLaren Peugeots ? I just wish Honda & Toyota would up their game a bit, so that we see some real competitive racing...

7th January 2008, 21:42	#1
AnniHilat0R BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Navi Mumbai Posts: 287 Thanked: 60 Times	McLaren unveil the MP4-23 in Stuttgart The second launch of the season is up and its the main contenders of Ferarri: McLaren. The McLaren driver, who turned 23 on the day of the launch, was on hand for the unveiling, together with his new team-mate Heikki Kovalainen and his McLaren team boss Ron Dennis. More than 400 members of the media and other guests also pack the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, along with over 700 Mercedes-Benz employees from the nearby manufacturing plant Stuttgart-Untertürkheim. The new car, which has already spent over 3000 hours being developed in the wind tunnel, is an evolution of the MP4-22 and as such there is no significant visual difference currently. However, the team did announce that between now and the first race in Australia there are planned upgrades on most of the aerodynamic surfaces, wings, bodywork, bargeboards and additional bodywork components. "Development of the MP4-23 began in earnest 10 months ago and everyone in Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart have worked very hard during the last few weeks, and particularly over the Christmas period, to make today's presentation here in Stuttgart happen," said McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh. "In addition we have continued to benefit from tremendous support from all of our Technology Partners. We are confident, based upon the simulation and analysis which has been an integral part of the development process, that the MP4-23 represents a step forward. "Of course we will continue to develop the car from now until the first race in Australia and see whether we have done enough to be at the level where we want to compete this coming season. "From today we have 68 working days until the Australian GP, and everybody within the team is highly motivated to travel to Melbourne with the most competitive package possible." Team boss Ron Dennis is also looking forward to challenging for the World title, which McLaren missed out on by one point last season. "The ultimate goal of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team is to fight for both the Drivers' and Constructors' World Championships. We are looking forward to another competitive season as we look to build on the momentum of last year," he said. "Every single member of the team has worked extremely hard since the end of the 2007 season to get the MP4-23 on track as soon as possible, to ensure we have the maximum amount of testing time available before the cars leave for Australia. "We are all extremely pleased to have the opportunity to launch our new car at the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart underlining the strength of our partnership." McLaren MP4-23 technical specification - engine: Type Mercedes-Benz FO 108V Capacity 2.4 litre No. of cylinders 8 Max. rpm 19,000 (FIA regulatory limit since 2007) Bank angle 90 degrees Piston bore maximum 98 mm (FIA regulation) Bore spacing 106.5 mm Number of valves 32 Fuel Mobil 1 Unleaded (5.75% bio fuel) Lubricants Mobil 1, newly developed 2008 formula for lower friction and better wear resistance Engine 95kg (minimum FIA regulation weight) Transmission: Gearbox Speeds Seven forward and one reverse Semi-auto Yes Driveshafts McLaren Clutch Hand-operated Chassis: McLaren moulded carbon fibre/aluminium honeycomb composite incorporating front and side impact structures. Contains integral safety fuel cell Front Suspension Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pushrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement Rear Suspension Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pushrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement Suspension Dampers Koni Electronics McLaren Electronic Systems control units incorporating electronics for chassis, engine and data acquisition. McLaren Electronic Systems also supplies the electronic dash board, alternator voltage control, sensors, data analysis and telemetry systems Bodywork Construction: One-piece engine cover; separate sidepod covers; separate floor section, structural nose with integral front wing. Tyres Bridgestone Potenza Radios Kenwood Race Wheels Enkei Batteries GS Yuasa Corporation Steering McLaren power-assisted Instruments McLaren Electronic Systems As McLaren unveiled their 2008 machine, the MP4-23, on Monday, the team also revealed some of key features of the car’s development and the technology behind it… The first design meeting for the MP4-23 took place back in November 2006 with early layout work starting in March 2007. Wind tunnel work commenced in late May 2007. Since then the MP4-23 has spent over 3000 hours being developed in the wind tunnel. The first MP4-23 chassis was ready for bonding in mid November 2007. Lewis Hamilton, Pedro de la Rosa and Gary Paffett had their provisional seat fittings for the MP4-23 back in September 2007. Heikki Kovalainen was fitted for his seat shortly after being announced as a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver. The car build process for chassis 1 began in early December 2007 and was finished in early January 2008. Throughout the development process 150 different engineers have been involved in the whole project in all disciplines. 14000 engineering man hours have so far been put into the MP4-23 development project. A similar number applies to the manufacturing man hours involved to produce the MP4-23 in time for its track debut on the 9th January 2008. The MP4-23 is an evolution of the MP4-22 and as such there is no significant visual difference currently, however between now and the first race in Australia there are planned upgrades on most of the aerodynamic surfaces, wings, bodywork, bargeboards and additional bodywork components. Alongside the development of the 2008 challenger, concept work has been started for the 2009 car since November 2007, with the KERS project (energy storage) beginning a year ago. Source: Formula1.com & Planet-F1.com
	() Thanks

8th January 2008, 10:46	#3
krishnavamshi24 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: hyderabad Posts: 109 Thanked: 2 Times View My Garage	Mclaren is a the best team around the only one to challenge the ferrari...but my fav driver is KImi ..lets hope for a great fight repeat of 2007 would be great but alonso is not in the same team any more so lets see it may be a three way fight this time...
	() Thanks

9th January 2008, 09:46	#4
im_srini BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Portland Posts: 1,010 Thanked: 490 Times View My Garage	Sure, Ferrari & McLaren seem to be the class of the current f1 field, however it was not long ago that Renault gave both of them a run for their money. Other teams have had their day in the sun too, remember the awesome Rothmans Williams ? Nobody stays at the top for long, the Ferrari F1 team was a joke during the early 90's, & remember the pathetic McLaren Peugeots ? I just wish Honda & Toyota would up their game a bit, so that we see some real competitive racing...
	() Thanks