McLaren's engineering director Paddy Lowe admits the team will be taking a more aggressive approach to their 2010 car, and that it will not favour one driver more than the other.
The design of the car was practically set in stone before World Champion Jenson Button signed with the team, suggesting the model will suit Lewis Hamilton more, but Lowe has rubbished such concerns.
"Not at all," said Lowe when asked if the car would favour Hamilton.
"In fact, the opposite is true: you tend to design a racing car to be as neutral as possible. The only way a car is specifically designed for a driver is ergonomically, and, like I say, we're confident that won't be a problem for Jenson.
"You're trying to provide the driver with the broadest possible performance plateau upon which he can improvise to best suit his style. You'd be surprised, too, at how drivers' different approaches very often culminate in a similar lap time, so, in that respect, we're confident that our drivers will be a good match.
"Besides, you usually find that the competitive instinct takes over: when you make a Formula 1 car faster, it invariably works for both drivers. We only engineer for performance - not for individuality," he added.
The 47-year-old is confident that the all-British pairing of Hamilton and Button will excel in 2010 with both drivers bringing different skills to the table.
"I'm absolutely convinced that they'll be a fantastic and competitive partnership," Lowe said.
"The reality is that they'll both bring different skill-sets to the table, and from January onwards we'll be able to very rapidly bring their wealth of knowledge and experience to bear on a number of issues - particularly during pre-season testing.
"In some ways, it multiplies our opportunities in a grand prix too: there could well be tracks where Jenson's skill-set is better-suited to the challenge, and equally, tracks where Lewis could excel. In the past, Jenson has demonstrated considerable talent at high-speed circuits, and we're looking forward to building that into our arsenal.
"As long as we provide both drivers with equal opportunities and equal machinery - something we've always done at this team - then we hope they'll be competitive everywhere."
McLaren endured a rocky beginning to the 2009 season before finding their footing late in the season to record two race victories and a handful of podium finishes. Frustrated with the slow start, Lowe reveals that the team are looking to be more aggressive in their design of the MP4-25 than they were with it's predecessor, the MP4-24.
"It's still too early to be able to say with any confidence how competitive we'll be, but all we can say with any certainty is that we've approached this year's car more aggressively than we perhaps have in the past," explained Lowe.
"We've used the knowledge we gained from heavily developing MP4-24 to stand us in good stead with the 25.
"We feel we're making very good progress, but, equally, we know there are some very capable teams out there too - I'd be surprised if Red Bull Racing and Ferrari don't come out with very strong packages, and I think Mercedes GP will produce another extremely quick car. You don't write anybody off in this business," he added.
