McLaren reveal new Renaultpowered MCL33
If you’d stood beside a Formula One track at some point over the past three years and closed your eyes, it’s pretty likely that amid the low rumbles you would still have been able to spot a McLaren chuntering by, sounding like the contents of a toolbox being thrown under a lawn mower.
More specifically it was the unmistakable sound of a Honda engine; McLaren’s regression has gone hand in hand with Honda’s reliability issues. And it is why Friday’s revelation of the new Renault-powered MCL33 has evoked feelings of cautious optimism, and hope of a new dawn for the beleaguered Surreybased team.
“Looking at our new car, I feel incredibly excited,” said Fernando Alonso. “But also apprehensive. I know just how important this car is to the team, and I just hope that it delivers in the way we all want it to.”
Alonso will partner Stoffel Vandoorne, the 25-year-old Belgian driver who has retained his seat after taking over from the retired Jenson Button towards the end of 2016.
It is no coincidence that the bright orange and blue chassis – which has plenty of advertising space still to fill – harks back to the team’s origins 50 years ago under the team’s founder, Bruce McLaren, and better days.
McLaren have not won a world title since Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 triumph but they are hopeful that with the promising Vandoorne and two-time world champion Alonso behind their respective wheels, they can enjoy a renaissance a decade on.
The switch to Renault has been a challenge, however, and the team admits that they have faced major alterations from last year’s design. “The advantage of the Renault layout means that we can push the engine forwards,” said technical chief Tim Goss. “But then you have the compressor at the back of the engine, so you’ve got to get the outlet pipes forward without impacting the packaging.
“We had to redesign the back of the chassis, the gearbox bell-housing area, the rear suspension, and the cooling layout. That was two weeks of intense effort to get right.”
Racing director Eric Boullier added: “We’ve prepared well, have a solid package that we can build upon and exploit as the season progresses, and have two excellent drivers who will make the difference in races.”
The car will be put through its paces next week in testing, which starts in Barcelona on Monday.