Quote:
McLaren technical director Adrian Newey has been talking up his team’s chances of replacing Ferrari at the top of Formula 1’s pecking order.
Newey led the team which designed the dominant world championship-winning MP4/14 and MP4/15 cars of 1998 and 1999.
These cars had the edge over the Ferraris of the same period, but over the past two years the competitive advantage has swung the Italian team's way with title victories in 2000 and 2001.
But Newey believes that McLaren can recapture their competitive edge in 2002. Speaking in an interview with Autosport magazine Newey said: "I think in 2001, after upsetting the form card in '98 and '99 when most people expected a Ferrari whitewash, we got a bit stale.
"I view it as an appropriate opportunity to throw things up in the air a bit and... if we are extremely lucky and skilful, then we can wrest the 2002 championship."
However, Newey acknowledges that are areas in which the team needs to improve if it is to challenge Ferrari. McLaren’s engine partner Mercedes were badly left behind in the power stakes last season after being overtaken by Ferrari and BMW.
Newey believes that the ban on exotic engine alloys hit Mercedes harder than most. There needs to be a big leap forward from the German manufacturer if is to catch-up with its rivals.
He added: "What is frustrating is that the power we had in 2001 was no more than the power we had in '98. We obviously need to improve on that."
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bron:
http://www.itv-f1.com/news/news_story.php3?mediaid=8789
In 2001 zou men rondgereden hebben met een evolutie van de 2000 motor, nadat het gebruik van beryllium verboden werd. (schadelijke stof) De 2001 motor draaide dan reeds op de testbanken (geruchten 18.000+ rpm) .