Eric Boullier says he was pleased to see the new McLaren MP4-30 run without cooling issues in Jerez because the radical car design is “amazing”.

The MP4-30 was described by Boullier as “one of the most exciting and best ever built cars from McLaren” when it was unveiled ahead of the first pre-season test, with particularly tight packaging at the rear of the car. While testing in Jerez saw the Honda-powered car limited to just 79 laps in total across the four days, Boullier says he is pleased that keeping the engine cool - albeit in low ambient temperatures - was not one of the problems McLaren encountered.

“You can see for yourself that the back end of the car is quite amazing,” Boullier said. “The car is very small and tiny and we have embarked with our partner as well to try for this challenge.

“Honda has obviously worked very [closely] with McLaren to make sure we can design such a car, but a partner like Mobil has been very interestingly involved with this because thanks to them we have pushed the limit of the cooling and we can run hotter engines, which [results in] smaller radiators and a smaller cooling system.

“This all achieves a tinier car and this is why I said before it was a relief to see the car running with no cooling issues because this is one of the main concerns when you go radical or extreme.”

Click here to see the full gallery of the McLaren MP4-30

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

Häkkinen marvels at Piastri but McLaren can have only one champion

Two-time F1 world champion Mika Häkkinen has delivered a glowing tribute to Oscar Piastri –…

7 mins ago

Hadjar: ‘Very open’ Verstappen making life easier at Red Bull

Isack Hadjar is preparing for his first full season with Red Bull Racing, and that…

2 hours ago

François Cevert: The Prince who would have been King

François Cevert - seen here trying for size his future Tyrrell 005 at the British…

3 hours ago

Hamilton’s winning advice in the age of AI: ‘Stay curious’

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton isn’t just revving up for a new Formula 1 season…

4 hours ago

Ecclestone and Briatore unleash on ‘chaotic’ 2026 F1 season

Former F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone and Alpine’s executive advisor Flavio Briatore may have mellowed with…

5 hours ago

Cadillac F1 entry hits $1 billion before first Grand Prix

Cadillac hasn’t started a Formula 1 race yet – but the meter is allegedly already…

7 hours ago