Formula One news

Missing Bahrain test is no disadvantage - McLaren boss

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh insists that McLaren's decision not to participate in the pre-season test session at Bahrain will be no significant disadvantage to the team as it bids to regain the initiative in the championship from a dominant Ferrari victory in Malaysia.

"Of course we would have liked to test in Bahrain but we do have to prioritise where we spend our time," said Whitmarsh. "Over the winter we have improved the aerodynamic efficiency of the car and cooling generally so it's not currently one of our vulnerable points. We have good data from running at the Bahrain track in previous years so we are confident it will not prove too much of a disadvantage."

When asked what the team has been working on since the last race in Malaysia, with no track testing permitted, Whitmarsh added, "The focus has been on reliability after the first two races which on the circuit have been pleasing but as always behind the scenes there are lots of things you need to attend to. In particular the pitstops and the problem we experienced in Malaysia with Lewis' right front wheel. We have good pace in the car and need to maintain our momentum so obviously we have continued to develop the car in the wind tunnel. However we are still evaluating whether we will take some of the aerodynamic developments with us to Bahrain."

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