Saturday: the pole would have been the cherry on the cake for McLaren

Lewis Hamilton – 4th and 2nd

« We are clearly very competitive – Jenson and I will start in the top 3 – but Seb (Vettel) was ultra-fast today. In Q1 and Q2, we were very close to him, but he found an extra half-second in Q3. He did an excellent lap. But I am still thrilled to start from the front row – after Spa, it gives me the opportunity to be at the front and score big points. But above all, I want to finish, of course; but I recognize that I can make a good start from my position on the grid, and if I have a chance to take the lead, I will seize it. We have improved throughout the weekend, and being second and third is a good result for the team. In fact, we even have a good chance of achieving our first one-two in 2011 tomorrow – I am optimistic. »

Jenson Button – 5th and 3rd

I was pretty happy with my first lap in Q3, but I thought I could still gain a tenth or a bit more in my last lap. However, on my second attempt, I lost a tenth in the first sector and never really managed to catch up for the rest of the lap, so I didn’t finish it. Third is generally a good starting position – it’s on the clean side of the track – but here it can be challenging to find a way past the top two into the first corner. But we are focused on tomorrow, the team is in a good position, and we can clearly score good points. I think we’ve chosen a good aerodynamic drag and good downforce, and the right gear ratios as well, so we should be happy with the work done since the start of the weekend. I don’t think Red Bull will have an easy time tomorrow. I believe we’ll be battling with them, and that’s what the fans want to see.

Martin Whitmarsh, director of the McLaren team

It’s probably a bit inappropriate for me to say this, but we are a little disappointed today – because being second and third is a good result – but our car is very competitive here and it would have been nice to be able to secure pole position. Lewis and Jenson each did a good lap in Q3 – but in their efforts to improve and push the limits, they made small mistakes in the first half of their laps, losing time. So we decided not to have them complete their laps. Therefore, they were second and third, and they remained so. As I say, pole position would have been the icing on the cake, but the reality is that Lewis and Jenson are very well-positioned to win the race tomorrow. They are two very talented drivers, so that’s what’s on both of their minds.