autoevolution
 

Hamilton Will Drive McLaren MP4-26 on January 10

2008 F1 champion Lewis Hamilton will be the first driver to officially test McLaren's 2011-spec MP4-26, on February 10, during the second group test of the winter break at Jerez. The news surfaced via Reuters journalist Alan Baldwin's Twitter feed, who said that Ham and teammate Jenson Button will benefit from equal time in the MP4-26 cockpit throughout the Jerez meeting.

According to the same source, McLaren have announced that Button will get into the car the very next day, after which the duo will continue to alternate for the last 2 days of Jerez testing.

As confirmed by the team a few days back, the 2011 challenger will not be unveiled until February 4th, during a special Vodafone-prepared media event in Berlin. What this means is that McLaren will tackle the first test of the season, scheduled to kick off on Valencia's Ricardo Tormo circuit on February 1st, with the 2010-spec MP4-25.

Also absent from Valencia will be the two official McLaren racers Hamilton and Button, as the 2010-spec car will be given track time by the British team's test driver Gary Paffett.

Another information arrived via Twitter, this time from Lewis Hamilton's account IamLewis4Real, tells us that the 26-year old driver is currently doing some development work for his team at the Woking headquarters, focusing on simulator driving. Seat fitting sessions are probably scheduled for later dates in January.

(2011) car feels good, never know how others will be but I'm happy with where we are,” wrote Ham, who will tackle the upcoming F1 campaign with a new personal trainer, Finn Antti Vierula, according to a report from the Sun newspaper.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories