McLaren test and development driver Oliver Turvey says the team has made the right decision to opt for a new aerodynamic direction this season.

With Honda joining as power unit supplier, McLaren has gone for a radical change in terms of its car design having been able to work so closely with the engine manufacturer. The result was a tightly-packaged car, with the team openly saying it has changed the way it works in terms of aerodynamics.

Turvey has worked on the development of a number of previous McLaren designs, and got his first taste of the MP4-30 during testing in Barcelona last week. When asked if he feels the team was right to make such a change, Turvey replied: "Definitely.

"The philosophy previously had been similar for a few years and this new direction I feel is a good direction, I think it makes the car more driveable and I think long-term it is a good direction. These concepts take time to develop and I am sure there is more potential in this package.

"It is exciting, for me as a test driver to be working with these engineers because there are quite a few engineers joining the team and new ideas and at the minute there is a lot of excitement and things to try. It has been an exciting year from a development point of view, so I think it has potential for the future."

Click here for an exclusive interview with Jenson Button about the McLaren-Honda project

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Brundle: F1 title fight ‘far from over’ after McLaren triumph

Martin Brundle believes the Formula 1 world championship is heading into the summer break with…

50 minutes ago

Antonelli: ‘Still a long way to reach Verstappen and Norris’ level’

Kimi Antonelli is sitting comfortably at the top of Formula 1’s 2026 Drivers’ Championship standings,…

17 hours ago

Szafnauer: Root cause of Aston Martin ‘mess’ planted five years ago

Former Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer has delivered a stinging verdict on Team Silverstone's…

19 hours ago

Hadjar details how he unlocked his consistency at Red Bull

Isack Hadjar believes one of his biggest challenges during his first season with Red Bull…

20 hours ago

Four classic German GP winners at the Nürburgring on this day

Down the years, August 4th has seen several German Grand Prix races held at the…

22 hours ago

Gasly: Alpine’s Dutch GP upgrade ‘critical’ for F1 midfield fight

Pierre Gasly believes Alpine’s upcoming Dutch Grand Prix upgrade package will be “critical” to the…

22 hours ago