McLaren apologises to Red Bull Racing for software issue

McLaren has apologised for an electronic glitch that affected Red Bull's Mark Webber during the Australian grand prix. After the Australian driver had a bad start in Melbourne and also a KERS problem, team boss Christian Horner said: "You need to ask McLaren why the ECU didn't work".

McLaren subsidiary MES (McLaren Electronic Systems) mandatorily supplies electronic control units to every team in F1. A new unit for 2013, in preparation for the radical new V6 engine rules next year, caused several problems in recent winter testing.

But Martin Whitmarsh, the McLaren team principal, said earlier this week that Red Bull could have been responsible for the Melbourne glitch. "You can also inflict ECU problems on yourself by how you set it up, but I will look into it," he said.

That investigation has now been done, and McLaren subsequently apologised to Red Bull in a media statement. The Woking based company admitted there was a "software-related issue" with Webber's unit. "That disrupted his preparations for the start of the race, for which Mark and the team has our apology. We are working together with them to prevent any recurrence," said McLaren. (GMM)

Order new McLaren merchandise here!

Replies (0)

Login to reply

AZ Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

AZAzerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

Test calendar

See full test schedule

World Championship standings 2026

Show full world champion standings

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
6 - Mar 8
Australia
13 - Mar 15
China
27 - Mar 29
Japan
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
1 - May 3
United States of America
22 - May 24
Canada
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
12 - Jun 14
Spain
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
10 - Apr 12
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
5 - Jun 7
Monaco Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
See full schedule

Team profile

Show full profile
show sidebar