Review Friday – McLaren finishes in a downpour

McLaren is undoubtedly the team under the most pressure this weekend. A final race under extreme tension, with only 4 points separating their two drivers and, above all, all eyes on their pit stalls with track marshals watching to ensure absolute fairness between Hamilton and Alonso.

But despite all this, the team continues on its path and manages, under wet conditions, to set the best times and achieve a one-two in the second session. The third free practice will be revealing.

Fernando Alonso – Not classified and 2nd

This afternoon, the session was much better than this morning. We did not anticipate that the session would still be wet, and not having run this morning did not allow us to complete the program planned for this first day. Particularly in terms of tires.

« Additionally, there is a new surface here, so the track was quite slippery. Nevertheless, when the track dries, the conditions are much better. I am looking forward to Sunday. »

Lewis Hamilton – 5th and 1st

« I really enjoyed finally being able to drive on this track. It’s just a shame that the weather conditions weren’t favorable, and consequently, we couldn’t finish our program. However, going out on the track allowed us to make good progress and get to know the track better. We tested the tires and still made good headway… »

Ron Dennis – McLaren Director

« It’s a positive outcome. This first day has really helped us with our vision of the race. Unfortunately, the session this morning was too rainy, and we had to limit the drivers’ track time. »

« Despite the good times today, we faced difficulties this morning, and above all, we made a mistake by using the same set of tires twice… It’s unfortunate, but it won’t give us any advantage for the rest of the weekend. We must therefore wait for the decision of the track officials this evening. »

Norberg Haug – Director of Mercedes Motorsport

« The times between Hamilton and Alonso are really close, especially when the track was drying. The bad weather conditions did not allow us to complete our full program. It is therefore much too early to make a performance prediction. »