Friday: Still work to do for McLaren
Even though the McLaren drivers finished both practice sessions held today in Singapore at the top of the timesheet, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton are not completely satisfied with the setup of their MP4-27. They believe that some improvements will allow them to be more competitive this weekend.
Jenson Button – 3rd and 2nd:
« I don’t feel like I’ve found the necessary fluidity – the track surface wasn’t grippy enough during each session because of this morning’s rain. I’m also not completely satisfied with the balance – not everything we tried today was always a success – but we still have some ideas for tomorrow, and that’s what’s positive. There’s still a lot of work to do – but if we manage to get the balance right, we should be competitive. »
Lewis Hamilton – 2nd and 5th:
« Our single-seater already has a good balance, but we need to make some adjustments to the settings. It’s difficult with these temperatures, especially during long stints, but to be honest, I think everyone is suffering a bit as well. During Free Practice 2, I went wide in the last corner of my fastest lap and probably lost half a second. But never mind, it’s nice to be able to test the car on a high-downforce circuit.
My race pace didn’t seem so good from the cockpit, but my engineers told me it was promising. The track should rubber in by tomorrow, so tire degradation will be less of an issue. We’re in the top 5, but there will be a fierce battle for pole position tomorrow. We’re studying our settings to improve the car’s balance on long stints, but today’s performance isn’t such a bad starting point.
