Assessment: McLaren is on the right track

The McLaren-Mercedes team is succeeding in its return to the forefront. After a fifth place in qualifying, Lewis Hamilton finishes just off the podium in the race during the Bahrain Grand Prix. A commendable performance considering the pace set by the top three teams, namely Brawn, Red Bull, and Toyota.

His teammate, Heikki Kovalainen, struggled a bit more as he only finished 12th out of 19 cars crossing the finish line! His team opted for a very poor strategy by favoring ‘Medium’ tires when it wasn’t necessary. The only downside is that there is now a 37-point gap between the McLaren team and the leader of the constructors’ standings, Brawn GP.

Lewis Hamilton – 4th:

« I am thrilled with this fourth place. The Toyotas, Red Bulls, and Brawns were very fast in high-speed corners. They were simply impossible to catch. But this is another encouraging step for the team. We just need to keep working on the car because we can’t really counterattack. The gap might be bigger in Barcelona because it’s a high-downforce track. We need to be on track for the top 10, but it’s still a bit tight to be in the top 5 every time. »

Heikki Kovalainen – 12th:

« My start was a disaster. It’s obvious that choosing the hardest tires to start the race was the wrong decision. They lacked grip and deteriorated quickly. After my first stop, the car was much better, but it was too late to gain positions dramatically. In any case, the pace wasn’t very good. We now need to analyze why our performance wasn’t sufficient today. We will work even harder to improve before the next race in Barcelona. »

Martin Whitmarsh – Team Principal:

« A great performance by Lewis [Hamilton] today, he didn’t make any mistakes during the race while pushing hard. With the pace of Toyota, Brawn, or Red Bull, fourth place is a very good result. It’s even more pleasing to think that we’re getting closer to their pace. The podium was within our reach today. »

« With Heikki [Kovalainen], we took a risk with the initial tires that didn’t pay off. We had to pit him earlier than planned because he was losing too much time among the other cars. Overall, we have made progress over the past few weeks. Our competitors are still ahead, but we will continue to improve to get back to where we need to be: At the front. »