Friday: McLaren drivers happy to be back
On a particularly wet Friday evening, especially in the afternoon, the McLaren team is satisfied with the few laps completed by Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, which allowed them to work on the starting procedure. But what the drivers especially take away is the joy of being back at the wheel of the MP4-27 and starting again tomorrow.
Lewis Hamilton – 15th and 14th:
The day was incredibly wet – there were many rivers across the track and aquaplaning, so you had to be very careful. There’s nothing to gain from pushing the car, but there’s always something to learn, so we did a few installation laps to check the effects of the updates we made for this race and see how the tires perform in the wet.
Tomorrow will be demanding, but everyone is in the same boat – no pun intended! If it dries, the track will be green tomorrow morning, so we will adjust the car during a few runs in Free Practice 3.
It’s still amazing to be back on a track. A Formula 1 would be fun to drive even if it were snowing, so I just enjoyed every bit of the lap I did.
Jenson Button – 16th and 16th:
« We completed a few installation laps, but that was all. The weather was better this morning because you could do a few laps with only a bit of aquaplaning. The afternoon was extremely wet – the only reason we went out in Free Practice 2 was for our start practice.
During most of the lap, you’re not really pushing – then, right in the middle of the Kemmel straight [between Raidillon and Les Combes at the end of the first sector, editor’s note], the track suddenly becomes wetter. As soon as you’re there, you feel the car slow down and start to slip.
I hope the worst conditions are over, and that we can get back to business tomorrow. The break has been so long that we just want to ride and have fun.
