McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh today defied suspicions that Mercedes concentrating on their works team would have a detrimental effect on the development of the McLaren MP4-25.
In a question put to him directly by forumula1.com, Whitmarsh said that development ‘was not just about money, but about efficiency,’ and that previous years’ cars’ improvement had ‘come from McLaren’ itself as opposed to Mercedes.
Moreover, Whitmarsh insisted Mercedes would continue to be ‘good partners’, having as they do a signed and sealed relationship as an engine supplier til 2012 with an option to continue to 2015.
Mercedes boss Norbert Haug was ill and could not attend the McLaren launch, which was alluded to by Whitmarsh in his preamble. Whitmarsh went on to say that McLaren would have a ‘different’ relationship with Mercedes, but that the Woking squad relished the challenge and the prospect of competition with the works team.
