Woking team show off MP4-28 as post-Hamilton era begins
Tuesday 5 February 2013 09:07, UK
Life without Lewis Hamilton at McLaren has begun in earnest after the team launched their new 2013 charger, the MP4-28 - a car which Jenson Button has vowed is the best in the team's history.
"McLaren have taken a risk: They've changed the design concept so the car has more potential, but it may take time to fully exploit," commented Sky Sports F1's Ted Kravitz. "The pullrod front suspension is like the 2012 Ferrari, and the high nose is unlike their previous concept." Indeed, while on the whole the new car might look much like the old, Button acknowledged that first impressions can be misleading. "It might look similar because it has the same colour scheme, but this [car] is completely different to last year - under the skin it's so, so different," said the 2009 World Champion. "That's why I think it's an exciting season for us." Perez, meanwhile, appeared particularly buoyant amid his first experience of a McLaren car launch and made clear that he felt "very motivated" to try and achieve "the big targets" the team have set themselves for 2013. "Definitely I want to win the championship. When you come to the best team that's what you have to do," the 23-year-old said. Although the high-profile exit of Hamilton has been viewed in most quarters as a setback for the team for 2013, Whitmarsh believes the new blend of youth and experience they now possess in their line-up will deliver the goods for them. "Jenson is driving better than ever - he's the most experienced driver in Formula 1, but he makes every ounce of that experience count: he's peerless in his ability to read a race and one of the very fastest drivers out there. He's a consummate professional, too, and will revel in working hard to drive this team through the year," Whitmarsh added. "Checo [Perez] joins us after a sensational 2012 season and he's immediately proved that he's intelligent, modest, hard-working and, make no mistake; very, very quick. "Of course, there'll be a learning curve to overcome as he gets used to our organisation, particularly during the hustle and bustle of the early-season race weekends, but he understands that we are placing no pressure on him."
