Team boss says they must be "winning races straightaway" in 2012
Last Updated: November 17, 2011 6:17pm
Visit: David Cameron at McLaren's Woking HQ on Thursday
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has said they must make a strong start to the 2012 Formula One season if they are to challenge for the world championship.
Whitmarsh was speaking on the day Prime Minister David Cameron paid a visit to the official opening of the new McLaren Production Centre as the Woking-based organisation push into the high-end sports car market with their MP4-12C.
Cameron hailed the multi-million pound facility as "incredibly inspiring", and the sport of Formula One in particular as "an incredible British success story" given the number of teams based on these shores.
McLaren, however, have not won a constructors' championship since 1999, and only one drivers' crown - courtesy of Lewis Hamilton - in 2008.
Whitmarsh knows that McLaren have to hit the ground running next year if they are to challenge Red Bull, who have successive constructors' and drivers' titles with Sebastian Vettel.
"We're very proud of the performance at the weekend in Abu Dhabi to win that race," said Whitmarsh of Hamilton's success at the weekend.
"That brings us to six victories, and obviously we'd like to make it seven (in the final race in Brazil on November 27) before the end of this year.
"But by the high standards of McLaren this has not been a vintage year.
"We've secured second place in the constructors' championship, but clearly we want to win more races than this.
"We had a slow start this year, so we have to get out of the blocks quickly and effectively at the start of next year to make sure we are winning races straightaway.
"We've two great drivers, a fantastic team of men and women here who are continuously innovative and moving us forward to be competitive.
"So we're optimistic about next year. If we weren't then we would have to change something because we are here to win."
Graft
Echoing Whitmarsh's sentiments, managing director Jonathan Neale cited simple "graft" as the potential key to success again.
"We've consistently won races, we're consistently on the podium, but we don't win championships enough and that's a frustration," said Neale.
"We love winning races, but we need to win more championships. We have shown we can out-develop and stay close to everybody, but we have to get out of the blocks, start quick.
"We do that with graft. Lewis and Jenson, as back-to-back world champions, deserve the best, so that's a clear target."
For his part, Cameron at least held up McLaren as a shining example of British manufacturing and engineering.
And although the Government has consistently shied away from investing in F1, in particular with regard to Silverstone when the Northamptonshire circuit cried out for funds for investment, Cameron is at least aware of the sport's impact on the country.
"There is something that is not said often enough, but Formula One is an incredible British success story," said Cameron.
"It's not just every time Jenson (Button) or Lewis (Hamilton) crosses the winning line.
"But every time (Michael) Schumacher or (Rubens) Barrichello roars off the starting grid, they are doing so in cars built right here in Britain.
Complex
"Engineering does not get more complex than this - tens of thousands of components, aerodynamics that almost defy the laws of physics, cars that go from 0-300kmh in less than nine seconds.
"This team designs a new part for a car every 20 minutes across the season, that's how fast the innovation is.
"It's engineering so ground-breaking that when space scientists are looking for ideas they come to the brains in Formula One.
"We can be proud British engineering is not just dominating Formula One, but actually changing the world."
Credit: Sky Sports (www.skysports.com)
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