McLaren to introduce MP4-19B

The McLaren car that races in the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix this season will not be a MP4-19, according to the Mercedes-powered team's principal. Ron Dennis said his team, some-time during 2004, is planning to introduce a B-version of the silver racer currently clocking up pre- season test miles.

McLaren has devised four such significant development steps this season. Dennis told Autosport: 'The 19B will be significantly different from the car we have in the first grand prix. We have got a very ambitious program.'

The magazine also reports that McLaren's plethora of new-engine problems at Barcelona this week has resulted in Mercedes shipping-out another batch.

Pursuing the trend of the last week or so, McLaren racer David Coulthard and tester Alex Wurz were basically slowest-of-all runners in Spain on Thursday.

Austrian-born Wurz said after one slow-day at the Circuit de Catalunya: 'The car felt so good in Valencia. But today I just couldn't get the flow going.'