According to Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren’s new car will be better than 2006’s MP4-21. De la Rosa has said he has already sat in the new MP4-22 and in appearance, it is very similar to the MP4-21 which failed to win a race in 2006.
“Some parts around the cockpit are different,” explained de la Rosa. “I am feeling good about it. We have got rid of things that did not work in our favour this year. Usually McLaren are not bad for two years in a row. With a team like ours, it would be difficult to repeat a season without wins like this.”
Despite his confidence in McLaren, de la Rosa believes that Ferrari will be the team that are favourites to take the crown next season. “I see them having a small advantage because they already have a lot of experience with Bridgestone. It is difficult to know how we are going to adapt our car to the tyres. Nonetheless, I see it as an open and close championship.”