The West-McLaren-Mercedes presented their 1998 challenger in Woking (England) today. Team-boss Ron Dennis played down the claims that McLaren is the team to beat next season, like Michael Schumacher has stated earlier. "Having our new car on a circuit last week has allowed us to see everyone else's presentations, and we don't want to make some of the mistakes they made."

He said about making predictions: "There are so many parameters that have changed: the tyres, narrow track, aerodynamic impact and driver line-ups, that it is far too early to make predictions and you waste your time doing that. I am not thinking about other people's performances. It serves no function to predict, because you will be as quick or as slow as you make yourself. You have just got to concentrate on the job in hand."

Coulthard agreed with Dennis and said: "I struggle to see why there is so much confidence because it cannot be based on any particular ingredients that we have. I am not thinking about the world championship, but I do want to win more than the two races I did last season."

Dennis did feel confident about the driver line-up: Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard: "I'm pretty confident about the capability of the guys who aren't young any more, but certainly aren't old. They are coming into their prime, because they now have enough experience and they are at the age where they can be supremely fit and concentrate on the job in hand."

The official colours will be presented on February 14.