Friday: Satisfaction in the McLaren camp
This morning, the MP4-26s stayed in the garage for most of the first free practice session. Button only completed 4 laps, ranking 23rd, while Lewis Hamilton did not complete a single flying lap. In the afternoon, the two Englishmen made up for it by finishing 1st and 3rd, respectively. The goal is to get onto the podium or better.
Jenson Button – 23rd and 1st:
I’m happy with the way the day went. The car is running well. There are always things you want to improve, but we’ve made progress and have a lot of useful data.
« We tried to ensure that the car absorbs the bumps well. Turn 12 is really very bumpy, it’s as if they had put a motocross jump there. »
« Turn 8 is very difficult also because, depending on the balance, it can damage the tires at the front and rear. Therefore, it’s necessary to find the right balance, which is what we focused on today. »
« We don’t have all the updates we wanted on the car this weekend, which is a bit disappointing, but we have effective improvements, so that’s positive. »
Lewis Hamilton – 24th and 3rd:
«We saved tires during this morning’s session. In the afternoon, we completed our program, which is very satisfying.»
I had some issues with the setup at first, which we can adjust, but I am satisfied with my pace on the long runs. I think this is probably one of the best sessions I’ve had so far.
In general, our car has a good base. We are still in the fight. The most important factor this weekend is to maintain our consistency, getting on the podium is my first goal. And if we can win, it would be even better!
Martin Whitmarsh:
This morning, we chose to keep our set of wet and intermediate tires, given the uncertain conditions for the rest of the weekend.
Fortunately, it was dry this afternoon and we were able to accomplish the majority of our program for the day in the second session. Additionally, the pace of both drivers in long stints is very encouraging.
Lewis and Jenson are satisfied with the balance of their car, despite having complained about the bumps in turn 12.
«It’s too early to draw conclusions from this afternoon, but we are happy to have found a good base for the setup and that we can build on that for the rest of the weekend.
