McLaren satisfied after good Friday at Fuji

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso emerged fastest from today’s second practice session at the Fuji International Speedway. Lewis set a time of 1m18.734 and completed 37 laps whilst Fernando did 1m18.948 and did 34 laps. In the first practice session Fernando was 3rd and Lewis was 4th with times of 1m19.667 and 1m19.807 and 27 and 24 laps respectively.

Lewis Hamilton “It’s obviously always a challenge to get to know a new track, but I have tried that three times this year already. The engineers and I walked the circuit yesterday, and I was really looking forward to getting in the car this morning. I stayed on the same set of tyres in the first session – just to get a feel for the layout. The grip levels increased throughout, but the challenge is when you don’t have a real idea of when the levels will stabilise. I experienced no problems and we found a good basis and made continuous progress. In the second session we focused on some longer runs and everything seems to be going in the right direction.”

Fernando Alonso “I walked the circuit with my engineers on Wednesday which always gives you an initial idea, but today was when the fun started. The track is very challenging but initially it was very dusty and the grip levels were low. In the first session I mainly focused on familiarisation and stayed on the same set of tyres throughout. The second session was when the work really began with tyre comparisons and set-up work. So far so good and we experienced no problems. Both tyre options seem to be working well, and I am looking forward to a competitive weekend.”

Ron Dennis “A welcome return to the Fuji race track where McLaren has fond memories of winning the 1976 World Championship. With only three races to go the entire team knows how important it is for us to leave Japan with a strong points tally. Today’s practice sessions bode well for the rest of the weekend. We experienced no problems, and due to strong simulation work back at base we arrived with a competitive set-up on which we will continue to build in tomorrow’s practice.”

Norbert Haug “Today we were fast, consistent and have done all of our planned laps on this new challenging circuit. The organisers did a great job, the Fuji track and the facilities are first-class and we very much enjoy being here.”