Saturday: Hamilton makes a mistake but McLaren relies on Kovalainen

Everything suggested a Monaco GP under the best auspices for the McLaren team. The last practice session confirmed the performance level of the MP4/24, comparable this weekend to Brawn or Ferrari with both drivers in the top 8. But not everything went as it should have.

As can happen, Lewis Hamilton made a mistake in Q1, ruining his hopes of pole position or a front-row start. A small slide resulted in the rear suspension of his car breaking. He will only start from 16th place tomorrow. Fortunately, his teammate somewhat made up for it with an honorable 7th position.

Heikki Kovalainen – 3rd and 7th:

The car was certainly calmer and more stable over the bumps of this track. It’s a bit easier to control. I felt really comfortable with the car throughout the weekend. Obviously, we wanted to be on pole, but we’ll see how the race unfolds and where we’ll be after the first stop. Lewis [Hamilton] was very unlucky this afternoon. We are always on the edge here and a little slip can put you into the barriers. I hit the safety barriers three times during qualifying and was lucky that there were no consequences.

Lewis Hamilton – 7th and 16th:

« I made a mistake. I braked too late, it’s unfortunate, but these things happen. It’s not a good day: the whole weekend went well so far and I really had the chance to be on the front row. It’s a shame for the team, because they did a fantastic job all weekend and the car was performing as shown by Heikki [Kovalainen]’s position on the grid. 16th is frustrating, but I’m moving on as I wait to see what will happen tomorrow. »

Martin Whitmarsh – Team Principal:

« Heikki is getting more and more performant as the weekends go by. Two very good laps in Q1 and Q2 showed that he is capable of being a leader. We are convinced that his strategy for tomorrow will propel him even further forward. Lewis’s accident is disappointing, he knows he made a mistake, but we all know he won’t give away places. It’s in his nature, and therefore, I am sure that tomorrow in the race, he will have the same commitment. »