McLaren say spy saga will not hurt 2008 form

LONDON: Last year's Formula One spy controversy will not damage McLaren's title chances this season, according to chief executive Martin Whitmarsh.

McLaren agreed last month to halt three areas of development on their 2008 car, launched in Germany on Monday, to ensure it was above suspicion after the governing body raised concerns about the possible incorporation of Ferrari data.

However, Whitmarsh said the impact of that decision would be negligible.

"We volunteered those three areas because we did not want there to be any ambiguity or any question during the course of this year that any of our program had been influenced by the events of last year," he said.

"We of course are happy that there is no influence in the development of last year's or this year's car," he added. "But we accept that it would be useful for us and for the sport to live without any of those questions and challenges.

"We came up with those three areas and we do not believe that we are handicapped by that," he continued. "We are in there with equal opportunity with the other teams with hopefully a competitive car to compete and win races.

"We are confident that we can develop a car that gives our drivers an opportunity to win races."

Mercedes-powered McLaren were fined $100 million and stripped of all their constructors' points in 2007 after a dossier of Ferrari technical information was found at the home of their chief designer Mike Coughlan.

Ferrari went on to win both titles, with Finland's Kimi Raikkonen beating McLaren's British rookie Lewis Hamilton by a single point after the final race.

Whitmarsh said the new MP4-23 car, which he described as an evolution, was already faster than the one they ended 2007 with.

Agencies

(China Daily 01/10/2008 page24)