Sunday: McLaren does not intend to stop there
After his victory at the Canadian Grand Prix, Jenson Button receives praise from his teammate and his team, who also express their intentions to continue their momentum in Valencia in 15 days.
Jenson Button – Winner
« This is the greatest victory of my career, and this day is very special for me. I worked my way from last to first place and overtook the cars ahead of me on the track. Winning a race by getting the upper hand over rivals with a series of solid overtakes makes the victory even sweeter.
Races in changing conditions are always very complicated, but I love it when you have to find the grip rather than knowing in advance where it is. It was an incredible victory, I don’t think it could have gone any better, especially after Monte-Carlo where we thought we could win before being disappointed at the very end of the race. I had a bit of luck today with Sebastian’s mistake on the last lap, but I think we deserved this little stroke of luck.
Regarding the incident with Lewis, I couldn’t see anything other than a red blur behind me, but it could have been my rear wing. I moved to the left, on the racing line, then I heard the impact and feared that it might be over for both of us. Lewis knows I didn’t do it intentionally, and I know he didn’t either. I spoke with him during the red flag, and everything is fine.
I must congratulate Dave Robson, my race engineer. We hadn’t won together yet, so it’s a very special result for him as well as for me. Now, I’m just going to enjoy the moment: […] I can’t stop smiling now.
Lewis Hamilton – Withdrawal
« First of all, I must wholeheartedly congratulate Jenson who drove an absolutely incredible race and deserves this victory. It was an absolutely fantastic performance from a really great driver.
I’m also sorry for the team: they worked really hard this weekend.
Although the conditions were really complicated, from the start, I had good grip and did my best to keep the car on the track. I think I had a good race pace and had no particular problems. I touched Mark’s car when he braked a bit early in the first corner. He left enough space, but I hit the inside of the curb, understeered, and hit him.
I then started to regain ground. After I caught up to Jenson, he made a slight mistake at the braking of the last chicane and was slower on the exit, so I was able to slip in behind him. It seemed to me that I was halfway alongside him on the pit straight, but he probably didn’t see me and continued to move back onto the line. There was no room for me, so I hit the wall. Of course, I don’t think it was intentional: I know Jenson well enough to know he wouldn’t do that. He’s a good guy.
So, now, I’m just going to focus on the next race and the rest of the season. It would be great if we could qualify a bit higher on the grid to avoid trouble in Valencia, but our race pace is good and I really want to do well there.
Martin Whitmarsh, Team Principal
We might well remember the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix as one of the most animated, exciting, and suspenseful in the history of Formula One. […] In fact, I think I heard the word incredible being said nearly a hundred times this afternoon, and, truth be told, Jenson’s driving was just that: absolutely incredible. Other adjectives that come to mind are heroic, magnificent, and superb.
The guys also did a great job: they made six stops just for Jenson, in difficult conditions and under enormous pressure, and this victory highlights the extraordinary team spirit that exists at McLaren.
Our race pace has been consistently good in Montreal, today in Monte-Carlo two weeks ago, and in Barcelona a week before that. We are going to Valencia where we hope to capitalize on this victory and this consistent competitiveness.
Lewis had a frustrating race that ended when Jenson and he made contact. We made the decision to ask him to stop his car on the track, and our post-race inspection revealed that it was the right choice: his suspension was damaged to a point that it was impossible for him to continue.
From our point of view, it was just a racing incident and both Lewis and Jenson share this view, as do the FIA stewards who did an excellent job in difficult conditions today. Sometimes, accidents are nobody’s fault.
