McLaren wants to focus on the positives after qualifying
If the two McLarens aren't starting from the back row, it's only thanks to the presence of the Manors, unlike in Melbourne. However, the team believes they have closed the gap to the best.
When the results are not there, it can be difficult not to sink into negative statements. At McLaren, they have mastered the art of finding positives in a 17th and 18th place. Thus, the team notes that proportionally, the gap is smaller in Malaysia than it was in Melbourne: they were 2.790 seconds off the best Q1 time, or 103.2%, whereas they are now 2.262 seconds off, or 102.3%.
Jenson Button managed to improve his time throughout his qualifying, to the point of beating Fernando Alonso, even though he struggled to manage the temperature of his tires: « It was really difficult to get temperature in the tires during the qualifying session. I really struggled in the first sector on all my laps but managed to make the car work in the second and third sectors. »
It is also felt that the McLaren leaders wish to preserve Fernando Alonso as he has been very critical of the handling of his accident during the Barcelona tests and his absence in Melbourne. As Eric Boullier stated: « Jenson and he recorded almost identical lap times, which shows that they both managed to get the maximum out of what the MP4-30 has to offer at the moment. »
However, when looking at the timesheet, the double world champion is still over three-tenths behind his teammate, which is a chasm in the competitive world of F1. Meanwhile, the Spaniard sees his former car in second place, just a few thousandths off the pole… This speaks louder than the positive statements from the management of his new team.
