Saturday: McLaren gets a little closer to pole position
McLaren continues to catch up with the leading teams like Toyota or Brawn GP. As proof, Lewis Hamilton is now only four places away from pole position. He will start from the 3rd row, hoping for a race result that is much more likely to happen compared to the early races of the year. His […]
McLaren continues to catch up with the leading teams like Toyota or Brawn GP. As proof, Lewis Hamilton is now only four places away from pole position. He will start from the 3rd row, hoping for a race result that is much more likely to happen compared to the early races of the year.
His teammate, Heikki Kovalainen, is in 11th place. The Finn will be able to choose his fuel load, which will be revealed to the public in a few minutes. He was a hair’s breadth away from reaching Q3 against Räikkönen or Rosberg. The McLaren driver is also aiming for points to secure his team’s 4th place in the constructors’ championship.
Lewis Hamilton – 4th and 5th:
« We have lived through very difficult times over the past two months, and today’s result is the fruit of all our efforts. I am very proud of what we have achieved: First of all, it’s nice to get back into Q3 and be part of the top 10, and then the battle within the top ten was even better! We have a similar pace to some drivers in the top five. If everything goes well, we should be able to finish in the top five. I will be back in pole position soon. I am really looking forward to it!
Heikki Kovalainen – 12th and 11th:
« I didn’t have any major problems today, but obviously I wasn’t as fast as I wanted to be. We need to analyze what went wrong. Nevertheless, our competitiveness has improved compared to previous Grand Prix. We are lacking pace, particularly in the second sector. However, the fact that I am less than a tenth of a second from the 10th position shows that we have made progress. I am looking forward to the race, where my goal is to achieve a solid result in the points. »
Martin Whitmarsh – Team Principal:
« After Shanghai last weekend, our performance today once again shows that we continue to make progress on the MP4-24. Lewis [Hamilton]’s position among the top five is fantastic. As a reminder, he was 18th for the first race of the season in Australia, which is an indicator of progress. Of course, our qualifying positions, the best on a Saturday in 2009, were obtained without compromises. Both of our drivers are well positioned to bring back a few more points for the team. »
