McLaren Has Upgrades for British GP to Compete with Red Bull

McLarenMcLarenUnited Kingdom, 1963 > present92 models
1883 photos
12 videos
has aerodynamic upgrades planned for the MP4-27McLaren MP4-27United Kingdom, 2012 > 20125 photos
at the British Grand Prix and even more upgrades planned for the German Grand Prix. The team believes that it will help them be more competitive against Red Bull. 

"There should be seven or eight modifications coming through. It is a reasonable package, if all the parts deliver - that is if we get them out of manufacturing and on to the car, and if they deliver on track as we predict and we believe then it should be worth something. We have another package coming for Germany which visually is a bigger package of changes. It will be more noticeable," said team principal Martin Whitmarsh. 

The team is hoping to compete with the upgraded Red Bull RB8Red Bull RB8Austria, 2012 > 201210 photos
and Ferrari F2012Ferrari F2012Italy, 2012 > 201214 photos
1 video
. 

McLaren's sporting director Sam Michael believes that the Red BullRed BullAustria, 2004 > present12 models
1049 photos
3 videos
performance at Valencia was a fluke. He does not believe that a team could gain a second over the other teams with just a few upgrades. 

"Because the changes that they made to the car, if you look at that pace it was a second a lap. To find a second lap in F1 through changing some fairly secondary parts on the top surface on the floor, which is where we know they have changed, to get a second a lap in F1 would be pretty impressive. When we arrive in Silverstone we will find out if that is the case but I will be pretty surprised if they maintain a second a lap gap on the rest of the field," said Michael. 

Source: Autosport (1,2)