{"id":1943,"date":"2010-01-30T10:33:12","date_gmt":"2010-01-30T15:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/?p=1943"},"modified":"2010-02-06T19:27:40","modified_gmt":"2010-02-07T00:27:40","slug":"vodafone-mclaren-mercedes-launches-mp4-25-with-world-champions-jenson-button-and-lewis-hamilton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/formula-1\/vodafone-mclaren-mercedes-launches-mp4-25-with-world-champions-jenson-button-and-lewis-hamilton\/","title":{"rendered":"Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Launches MP4-25 with World Champions Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team today revealed its brand new MP4-25 chassis \u2013 the car in which reigning world champion Jenson Button and 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton will contest the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.<\/span><\/h5>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unveiled at Vodafone UK\u2019s stunning headquarters in Newbury, the 2010 car looks noticeably different from last year\u2019s race-winning MP4-24. MP4-25 features a radical aerodynamic overhaul and a significantly larger fuel tank to take full advantage of this year\u2019s new regulations, and its design team is confident it has explored every possible avenue to maximise the car\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n

Horsepower once again comes from our friends in Stuttgart. Mercedes-Benz\u2019s FO 108X V8 subtly improves upon an engine that has become the benchmark in Formula 1, winning the last two drivers\u2019 world championships.<\/p>\n

The team kicks off its 2010 campaign with a stunning driver pairing: 2009 world champion Jenson Button and 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton. It is the first time since 1989 \u2013 when it ran Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna \u2013 that the team has fielded a joint-world champion driver line-up, and marks the first time in Formula 1 history that the sport\u2019s two most recent world champions have been partnered together.<\/p>\n

However, the driver line-up represents only a fraction of the team\u2019s remarkable strength in depth. Members of the design team who contributed to the development of MP4-25 can also trace their involvement back through an incredible seven of the team\u2019s 12 drivers\u2019 world championships, five of the team\u2019s eight constructors\u2019 world championships and 112 of the team\u2019s 164 grand prix victories.<\/p>\n

The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team begins pre-season testing with MP4-25 at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo on Monday.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n

JENSON BUTTON
\n\u201cI\u2019m incredibly proud to be standing here today knowing I\u2019ll be carrying the number one for the whole season: that\u2019s a great responsibility but also a great honour. It\u2019s something I\u2019m relishing.
\n\u201cFrom the very first day of testing, I\u2019ll be working with the team to learn about the car and to develop it ahead of the first race. I\u2019ve said it before: the pace of development in those opening tests could well determine the outcome of the championship.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve got a great team around me, and I already feel very at home here. I just can\u2019t wait to get in the car and start driving again. It really can\u2019t come soon enough!\u201d<\/p>\n

LEWIS HAMILTON
\n\u201cI\u2019ve seen just how much effort and attention has gone into making this car what it is. We\u2019ve been pushing like crazy to find the performance and the result is something that looks very special and very uncompromising.
\n\u201cBoth Jenson and I are world champions, and we both want to add to the team\u2019s incredible winning legacy. I think a strong driver line-up will be very important this year as there are a lot of very competitive teams and drivers \u2013 and the stronger we can be, the better chance we\u2019ll have of winning races. We all understand that.
\n\u201cObviously, I want to win the drivers\u2019 world championship, that\u2019s clear. But, just as important, I want to help the team win the constructors\u2019 world championship. I think it\u2019s set to be a great year for Formula 1 \u2013 it should be brilliant.\u201d<\/p>\n

MARTIN WHITMARSH
\nTeam principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
\n\u201cAt Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, we\u2019ve demonstrated that strength in depth is the best approach to take in Formula 1. The group of engineers, designers and strategists we\u2019ve assembled demonstrates how much can be achieved by a very focused team operating at the very limit of their abilities.
\n\u201cIn Jenson, we saw a champion driver hungry for more success. We\u2019ve already seen those qualities in Lewis, too. I\u2019m convinced that we have one of the very strongest driver line-ups in Formula 1, and that both Jenson and Lewis are committed to working together to enhance the team\u2019s prospects in what promises to be a fiercely competitive season.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Wheldon
\nVodafone Global brand director & CEO of VIML
\n\u201cAs we enter into the fourth season of this partnership, we will continue to create real engagement with our customers, utilising the unique opportunities the team partnership delivers, through a powerful integrated marketing platform. With the 2010 season starting, we welcome newly crowned world champion Jenson Button and wish all the team a successful 2010 season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Source McLaren | \u00a9 RIF<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team today revealed its brand new MP4-25 chassis \u2013 the car in which reigning world champion Jenson Button and 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton will contest the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. \u00a0 Unveiled at Vodafone UK\u2019s stunning headquarters in Newbury, the 2010 car looks noticeably different from last year\u2019s …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[3,604],"tags":[553,5262,153,5332,154,491,5284,268,5309,554],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1943"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1943"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1947,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1943\/revisions\/1947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}