MP4-19B to race at Magny-Cours

Team West McLaren Mercedes has today announced that they will introduce their new MP4-19B at the French Grand Prix this weekend. The team decided they have enough positive information from testing last week to be sure of a step in the right direction.

The testsession at Jerez last week saw all drivers bring in good feedback and being fairly happy with the new car.
There is afterall no real reason to move its introduction down the calendar, since the current MP4-19 is far from performing on McLaren standards.

Martin Whitmarsh explained: "The entire team is continuously working to improve our overall package and whilst the MP4-19B is a significant part of this process additional developments are already planned for the coming weeks and months.”

Both the team drivers have asked earlier in the season to not wait for the introduction of their new car, as it "could only get better". One of the current drivers, David Coulthard had the following to say...

“I am looking forward to the Mobil 1 French Grand Prix, partly because it is an event that I particularly enjoy, but primarily because we are using the MP4-19B for the first time. After the two North American races, we returned to Europe to continue our test program at Jerez with the MP4-19B. It was my first opportunity to get behind the wheel and it was a constructive couple of days,” he said. “As with the rest of the team, I feel it is a positive move and I am looking forward to seeing how it goes this weekend.”

“Similar to circuits such as Monaco and Nurburgring, Magny Cours is more of a technical circuit than a full power track. This characteristic tends to suit my driving style and I have had some excellent battles here that were hopefully as enjoyable for the fans as myself! My victory in 2000 is without a doubt one of my career highlights. The circuit itself has a very smooth track surface, this allows low ride heights and therefore leads to low mechanical grip.”

“Following the United States Grand Prix, myself and the team again felt that the result of the race didn’t fully demonstrate our potential, but that is racing. We are now focused on the Mobil 1 French Grand Prix, where David and myself are racing with the MP4-19B. It has run well in testing and I hope that it will run as reliably in the race as it did at Jerez,” added teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

“Magny Cours is a mix of low speed hairpins, fast chicane and medium speed corners. There is one main high speed section, from Estoril to Adelaide. It’s crucial to drive the long, fast sweep of Estoril flat out without lifting, so that you have as much speed as possible as you swing round onto the fast section to power towards the hairpin in order to get a quick lap time. It is also a great corner to drive, as it allows you to really push the limits.”