McLaren not worried about troubled qualifying
Sergio Perez and Jenson Button both blamed the difficult conditions and circumstances for their disappointing qualifying session. The McLaren drivers hope to regain some places in tomorrow's race, on a track that should allow overtaking.
Sergio Perez, MP4-28A-02: “That was a very tricky session – it was difficult to make the most of things, and, in the end, luck just wasn’t with us. The red flag at the end of Q2 affected me just as I was about to set a good time. Then, with only two minutes of the session remaining, I didn’t get a run without traffic – as a result, I couldn’t get my tyres up to temperature.
“The fact that some of the others managed to improve was frustrating, but that’s racing; sometimes you get it right, and sometimes you get it wrong. It’s a shame, because I think we had the pace to get into Q3 today. Our focus is on the race, and I think we can still score good points tomorrow. It’s not over.”
Jenson Button, MP4-28A-01: “Today’s qualifying was one of those sessions where it either all falls into place for you – or it doesn’t. And we were just out of luck this afternoon. We encountered yellow flags, a red flag; and, when the session restarted, I crossed the line about half a second too late to start my final flying lap.
“We weren’t as competitive as we thought we’d be, and 14th obviously isn’t the place where I want to start, but the good news is that you can overtake around here. A race in mixed conditions tomorrow would be good for us.”
Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: “In Q2, we’d just switched both drivers to their second set of Intermediate tyres when they encountered yellow flags, and then the red. We couldn’t really get the quick laps we needed.
“When the red flag came out, we only had two minutes of the session remaining, so it was always going to be difficult to get out and improve. Jenson narrowly missed starting his lap – by about one second – and Checo had too much traffic and struggled to get his tyres up to temperature. Consequently, we didn’t get a car through into Q3 for the first time this year.
“But, in Jenson and Checo, we’ve got a pair of fantastic racing drivers who’ll most certainly be giving their all tomorrow. The unpredictable weather conditions show no sure sign of abating, and we’ll be pushing to maximise every available opportunity in a race that’s destined to be long, hard and unpredictable. There’s still a lot to play for.”
