McLaren got off to a strong start at Monza on Friday morning, despite testing a rear wing that looked more suited to a high-downforce track.
While many rivals were running more conventional for Monza 'tea-tray'-style wings for the Autodromo's long straights, observers were surprised when the MP4-25 emerged from the pits with a very big rear wing.
After the British team hinted it might not use an F-duct at all this weekend, the wing was indeed used on Friday morning in conjunction with the downforce-shedding innovation.
The implication is that McLaren achieves high straight-line speeds by activating the F-duct on the straights and stalling the wing, while in the corners the car gains a competitive advantage by producing higher-than-normal downforce.
Jenson Button topped the morning timesheets at the Italian circuit, while his teammate Lewis Hamilton was third quickest in the sister car.
09/10/10 McLaren's Jenson Button set the fastest time in opening practice session at Monza in preparation for the Italian Grand Prix. Button's best time was less than a tenth quicker than Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull, with Button's McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton the only other driver in the 1m23s bracket in third.
Although Friday morning is largely a track cleaning exercise (The 90-minute session was half over before anyone set a competitive time), the Ferrari team did not give the Italian race fans anything to cheer about with Fernando Alonso in 8th and his teammate Felipe Massa 9th.
Copyright 1999-2013 | AutoRacing1 is an
independent internet online publication and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed
by IndyCar, NASCAR, FIA, Sprint, or any other series sponsor.
This material may not be published, broadcast, or redistributed without
permission.
