• McLaren launch

Braving the Berlin cold

Mechanics assemble the MP4-26 ahead of the media launch © Sutton Images

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• McLaren unveils its MP4-26
  

• Drivers:
• Jenson Button
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• Lewis Hamilton

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Formula One car launches used to be glitzy, glamorous affairs but with most teams opting to coincide their launches with the first official test in Valencia, a cold, grey Berlin morning greeted the world's media for the launch of McLaren's MP4-26.

Tea and biscuits replaced champagne and caviar as the huddled crowd watched McLaren mechanics haul piece after piece of the new car into the large Potsdamer Platz that sits on the fringe of the old Berlin wall, before assembling the Woking-based team's latest incarnation before their eyes.

First came the tyres, placed in symmetrical position in anticipation of the chassis, wheeled between the tyres on a glorified car jack. Then, somewhat out of character, members of the public carried the remainder of the car - sidepod, engine covers and all to complete the state-of-the-art jigsaw. Although they were most likely plain-clothed McLaren employees rather than the white Vodafone-overalled McLaren stormtroopers, it gave the display a rather personal feel, that this was the team of the people.

Then, like a well-drilled McLaren pitstop, the whirr of the wheel guns completed the job before the drivers, almost unnoticed, took centre stage - no music, no fanfare. Functional rather than glamorous was the overriding message. The MP4-26 is here to do a job and that is to wrest the initiative from rivals Ferrari and Red Bull in 2011.

Beneath the skin, the car houses a new electronic hybrid system and features a range of aerodynamic features designed to take advantage of the new rules including U-shaped sidepods designed to feed air more effectively into the car's rear end.

"It's great to see how many fans braved the Berlin weather to come to today's event," said Lewis Hamilton. "I think people saw a unique way of revealing our 2010 car, something that's never been done before. I hope the car proves just as innovative on the track next week."

"I'm really looking forward to getting to drive for the new car for the first time," added Jenson Button. "Our pre-season simulations suggest that the new Pirelli tyres should be well suited to my particular driving style, so I'm hopeful to be able to derive a good advantage from the tyres during the races."

Team principal Martin Whitmarsh praised the hard work of the team that produced the team's 2011 challenger.

"The MP4-26 is the result of an incredible amount of hard work, innovative thinking and dynamic teamwork. Under the leadership of Paddy Lowe, Tim Goss and Neil Oatley, our design department is more integrated than ever: in fact I'm particularly proud of the contributions made by our project engineers, many of whom have taken on leadership roles for the very first time and who had worked so well together to create this very striking and individual looking car."

Test and reserve driver Gary Paffett will shake down the MP4-26 during a private session at the Idiada Proving Ground in Spain on Tuesday before the team begins testing at Jerez on Thursday.

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