Friday: Confidence Reigns at McLaren
The McLaren drivers dominated the front positions on this first day of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. While Lewis Hamilton hopes to maintain his momentum, Jenson Button believes that the balance of his car is still improvable.
Lewis Hamilton – 3rd and 1st:
« It was a very positive day for me. The car is behaving well – our pace on long stints didn’t seem too bad, and we appear to be quite competitive. The car is performing better than in recent races, so I really hope to be able to continue like this for the rest of the weekend.
The track just got better and better, so I gradually fine-tuned my settings. The tires are performing well; during the last race, they were degrading, and I had no rhythm, so the sensations were better this weekend. It’s very positive for me.
When Friday goes smoothly, it definitely makes you confident for the rest of the weekend.
Jenson Button – 1st and 2nd:
« I am not completely satisfied with the car’s balance yet, although I am confident that we will solve it. Nevertheless, the car’s pace is good, Lewis was very fast today, and our long runs were very good.
I made a few overtakes in my long run but I think it will remain difficult to overtake in the DRS zone, which means it will be important to qualify in front.
The track is tricky, but we made good progress this afternoon and tonight.
