McLaren unveiled their 2010 Formula 1 contender this morning at Vodafone UK’s headquarters and heads are starting to turn. The MP4-25, which will be piloted by Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button in the 2010 championship features a very aggressive rear diffuser, shark fin engine covers, side exhausts, and a much longer wheelbase and sleeker shape than the outgoing MP4-24 which struggled against the competition in 2009.

McLaren’s engineering director Paddy Lowe has stated during the launch that the team went with a very aggressive diffuser approach that pushes the limits of the FIA’s interpretation of diffuser legality. “You will see we have produced a fairly extreme incarnation of that but we won’t be alone in that. We believe you will see some pretty extreme solutions on our competitors’ cars as well.”, said Lowe. “This is the first car in which we have had a clean sheet of paper to really exploit the interpretation that was developed last year for a design of floors.”

Recall that last year, the double diffuser concept pioneered by Brawn, Williams and Toyota were under heavy scrutiny during the first few races of 2009, where many teams complained and the FIA had to officially rule their legal status. The extreme diffusers was what led Brawn GP to dominate early season and run away with both drivers and constructors championships.

Ferrari has already voiced their displeasure at the competition’s new diffusers. “We were and still are convinced that the double diffuser concept was illegal. We feel there may still be interpretation over this, as the rules leave the door open to many possibilities. It’s up to the FIA to supervise, but we are rather worried.”, said Ferrari technical director Aldo Costa.

How will the new McLaren stack up against the competition? The team is confident with their radical design, but the same thing could be said last year during launch day, where the team found themselves 2.5s a lap slower than the top cars at the first race. Find out next week when winter testing officially kicks off!

source: Jamesallenonf1 on twitpic

source: Jamesallenonf1 on twitpic

Tags:ferrari, formula 1, mclaren