McLaren satisfied with good Malaysian run
After a horrible qualifying session, the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 Team did everything they could to move to the front. Lewis Hamilton finished the Malaysian Grand Prix in 6th position while team mate Jenson Button crossed the finish line in 8th position.
Lewis Hamilton
MP4-25A-03
Started: 20th
Finished: 6th
Fastest lap: 1m37.745s (4th)
Pitstops: one, lap 30, (Pr-Op)
2010 points: 31 (6th)
“I had a great start, went down the inside and got past a lot of cars on the first lap. I was able to keep going for much of the race on my first set of tyres, and even nearly got past Sebastian [Vettel] after his pitstop.
“After my pitstop, I tried my best to get past Adrian [Sutil], but he was very smart at getting clean exits and was simply too fast down the straights. He drove a fantastic race, actually; faultless, in fact.
“From 20th on the grid, I think sixth was a brilliant result. I reckon we showed today that we were fast enough to compete with the guys at the very front – and, that being the case, if we’d started farther up we could’ve had an even better result this afternoon.
“Overall, then, I’m well happy with my race – I couldn’t ask for any more to be honest. The team really deserved this, and we’re now closer to the top in the constructors’ championship than we were before the race. So we’ll take forward a lot of positives with us into the next race.”
Jenson Button
MP4-25A-01
Started: 17th
Finished: 8th
Fastest lap: 1m38.501s (10th)
Pitstops: one: lap 9 (Op-Pr)
2010 points: 35 (4th)
“My first stint was very tough. I went for the outside at the first corner – and as things turned out it wasn’t the right place to be. So I fell back, and was then stuck behind Fernando, who I just couldn’t overtake.
“I found the Option tyres quite difficult in the early laps – I had no rear grip in the high-speed stuff. I couldn’t overtake, and lost lots of time, so I took the gamble to pit early and drop back into a clear track.
“I made up a lot of ground, but I was on the Primes for so long that it became difficult to hold back cars that were two seconds a lap quicker than me.
“Felipe [Massa] eventually got past. Fernando [Alonso] tried a couple of times – the last time he went really deep into Turn One, but I managed to repass him on the exit – and then suddenly his engine was gone. I don’t know what happened to him, but we had a good fight.
“I didn’t realise that fighting for eighth was going to be so difficult! However, it’s good to get some points again.”
Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: “Given their grid positions, this afternoon we saw two markedly different yet equally impressive drives from Lewis and Jenson.
“Lewis ran long, starting on Prime tyres, and made prodigious progress in the first phase of the race thanks to a series of stunning overtaking manoeuvres. Jenson ran a contrasting strategy, starting on Options and making his pitstop early [lap nine]. Thereafter he preserved his Primes in masterly fashion, defending his position against cars whose tyres were far newer than his yet still maintaining strong lap times throughout the race.
“From our perspective, a bit of rain would have been welcome; but, given the dry weather all afternoon, the fact that we’ll leave Malaysia with 12 more constructors’ championship points than we had when we arrived here is a powerful testament to the professionalism and determination that both Lewis and Jenson showed today.
“The team, too, did a fantastic job. Lewis’s pitstop was the fastest we’ve achieved all year, at a lightning-quick 3.4 seconds, so I’d like to take this opportunity to say ‘well done’ to Pete Vale [chief mechanic], Paul James [number-one mechanic, Lewis Hamilton] and all the lads for their excellent work under significant pressure.
“Looking forward to China, there are many positives to reflect on. We now lie a close second in the constructors’ world championship table, our pace was highly competitive all weekend here in Malaysia, and, with a better qualifying performance than we achieved here in Sepang, we hope to perform strongly in Shanghai.”
