As the 2015 F1 season kicks off McLaren and Honda have partnered up to launch a brand new supercharged MP4-30 race car. Sleek, streamlined and eye wateringly fast, the new set of wheels is the latest development from the world famous super team boasting eight world championships and a total of 44 victories!
Image via: The Guardian
Yasuhisa Arai, Honda’s head of motorsport, said “As you can see with the new MP4-30, we’ve dedicated ourselves as one team with McLaren to creating a new car that compromises on nothing – either power or aerodynamics.”
The car made its grand debut on January 29th, just three days before it took part in its very first race track event. So who was behind the wheel of this next generation supercar? Fernando Alonso is the lucky driver, a Spanish F1 World Champion who’s replaced Kevin Magnussen. He revved up the engine of the MP4-30 in the southwestern Spanish municipality of Jerez. Of course, Alonso was happy to share his new ride, with team-mate Jenson Button taking the car for a spin the next day.
“We’re about to commence a long season, with numerous challenges but Honda is determined to face them head-on. After all, we’re here to drive Formula One’s technology forward and give our fans a thrilling ride,” said Arai. The team is hoping to hit a number of performance related targets as well as claim some of F1’s most prestigious victories.
While the car is a seriously powerful machine the team aren’t being cocky about the upcoming season. After all, the engine is brand new and untested which has left some F1 fans sceptical as to whether or not the MP4-30 will be a flying success. Alonso revealed that “It’s going to be a learning year and a learning process for all of us. The goal is to win but we need to be ready to work as a team and be united to achieve that win as soon as possible.” Button shares his unconceived attitude, maintaining that “you go into every season, especially when you are at McLaren, thinking you could be fighting for victories. Obviously it’s a little bit different this year because Honda are not experienced with this engine as the other manufacturers.”
Joining McLaren and Honda in the unveiling of this season’s latest supercars is Ferrari and Mercedes. So which team will take the crown? We’ll just have to wait and see how the 2015 F1 season unfolds!
Dream of owning this car? One thought to hold you back: the cost of the car insurance!