A spokeswoman for McLaren has confirmed reports in the Spanish press that the Woking based team will this week test on the island of Menorca.
“(The team is) always looking at new circuits to use for their testing programme,” she said.
The venue is the Real Aeroclub de Mahon; a private airfield on the small Mediterranean Sea island, which has a population of just 80,000.
McLaren test driver Gary Paffett will drive the MP4-22 on Wednesday and Thursday, but as it is a straight-line aerodynamic test, no official times or reports will be issued by the team, the spokeswoman added.
It is believed that McLaren turned to Menorca after its regular aerodynamic test venue, the Elvington Airfield located near York, was hit with a court order restricting use of the facility by F1 teams due to the excessive noise.
Spanish reports explain that 50 McLaren engineers have accompanied the McLaren test team to Menorca, where the airfield boasts an ideal runway of nearly 2 kilometres in length.
The airfield’s president Jose Villalonga, meanwhile, is quoted as inviting McLaren to regularly test on the Spanish island.
In other McLaren news, it is understood that Mercedes-Benz is proposing to expand its F1 engine facility in Brixworth (UK) with a nearly $100m investment, involving the transfer of 80 staff from Stuttgart (Germany).
