The McLaren Formula One team launched their 2012 challenger at their team headquarters in Woking, Great Britain on Wednesday. The new car has been christened the MP4-27 and will be powered by Mercedes-Benz's 2.4-litre, V-8 engine.
McLaren were the second of the 12 F1 teams to unveil their 2012 car after Catheram F1 posted photos of its CT01 on its official Twitter account. McLaren, however, opted for a traditional launch witnessed by F1 journalists at the factory as well as people all over the world via an Internet link that streamed the launch live in its entirety.
The two most visible changes to the car were a lowered nose-cone section and re-located exhaust vents as per the 2012 technical regulations written by F1's governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA). The air intakes in the car's sidepods have been changed as well and are a departure from the vertical intake vents from the previous year's car.
The car was described by both drivers as an evolution of the MP4-26 that contested the 2011 world championship and won a total of six races with Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel.
{{/usCountry}}The car was described by both drivers as an evolution of the MP4-26 that contested the 2011 world championship and won a total of six races with Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel.
{{/usCountry}}