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Lewis Hamilton on final day of pre-season testing at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya
© AP Images |
According to latest reports, the McLaren team will be taking an alternative set of rear bodywork for its cars to the opening race of the season in Bahrain, in case the FIA deems its current design to be in breach of the regulations.
The rear section of the MP4-25 was set to be investigated after reports claimed that both Red Bull and Ferrari were seeking clarification about the team’s ground-breaking design. The innovative design ensures that the rear wing stalls, thus giving it a boost in straight-line speed.
However, the investigation was reportedly put on hold until the season-opening race weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, as Charlie Whiting, the head of technical department of the FIA, was unavailable due to unexpected circumstances.
Meanwhile, reports claim that Jonathan Neale, McLaren’s managing director, has hinted that this is just a precautionary step and that McLaren is confident about its primary design, however, one can never be a hundred percent sure of what the stewards are going to do.
In the midst of all these concerns, the Woking-based outfit has apparently decided to start with Gary Paffett, as its only reserve driver, at least for the first four races. However, the team seems to be interested in former BMW test driver, Christian Klien, who is currently involved in the Le Mans series for the reserve driver spot, after their long-time test driver Pedro de la Rosa decided to occupy the race seat at Sauber.