Saturday: Difficult Day for McLaren
If during the practice sessions the McLarens seemed to be trailing on the Barcelona circuit, the qualifying session confirms it. Sergio Perez still managed to secure the 9th place on the starting grid, while his teammate Jenson Button, plagued with a tire issue, will only start from the 14th position.
**Sergio Perez – 14th and 9th [8th on the grid]**:
These last two days have been difficult for us – I had problems throughout the trials – and so reaching Q3 is already a very good result, and something we didn’t really expect. I am very happy because I got absolutely everything I could from the car. So, we will do tomorrow’s race by looking to maximize our potential. If we manage that, I think we should be satisfied. The entire Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team is determined to keep fighting. I’ve seen how hard the guys work in the garage to bring us back to the front, so today’s result makes me even more eager to fight to justify all their efforts.
Jenson Button – 12th and 14th:
« Congratulations to Checo – he did an excellent job, particularly in Q2. He did everything right this afternoon and showed that in the end, some of our recent improvements are working. It’s not enough yet, but it’s rewarding to see that we’re making some progress. For me, the car was fine in Q1, but in Q2, I couldn’t gather myself for my last lap. It felt like the tire pressure was too high, but to be honest, we’re not really sure what exactly happened. So tomorrow, starting from 14th place, everything we do will be difficult. It’s going to be a tough afternoon, but we’re going to do our best. »
