Sunday: Hamilton brings joy to McLaren
At the end of the qualifying session, the outcome wasn't good for the McLaren team. Qualified 10th, Lewis Hamilton managed to get a good start to quickly catch up with his opponents. Unfortunately for him, his aggressiveness made him consume more fuel than expected, so he had to slow down at the end of the race and let Mark Webber pass. The Brit finished ahead of Felipe Massa after a duel that lasted until the final meters of the race. Jenson Button was also on course for a good result before a poorly secured wheel during a pit stop forced him to retire.
Lewis Hamilton – 4th:
« Before the end, I had to save fuel and I no longer had brakes, which allowed Mark to pass me, and I had to defend against Felipe Massa in the last laps. In the last lap, the team ordered me to push to the maximum, but Felipe was already very close, so it was difficult to defend myself. »
« This last lap was very tight. In the final corner I stayed on the inside and braked as hard as possible. Fortunately, we both made it through the corner in one piece and I was able to overtake him on the line. »
« The support I had when I crossed the line was as if I had won the race, so I want to say a huge thank you to everyone. In fact, the fans were amazing all weekend. I’ve never seen so many people at Silverstone and I could feel them carrying me. »
« I think it was one of the best British Grand Prix of all time and I am already looking forward to coming back next year. »
Jenson Button – Retirement:
He could have happened so much in my race today. Before my last stop, I had a good pace and had caught up to Lewis, Sebastian, and Mark. When they went into the pits, I stayed on track for one more lap, and I think I would have come out alongside or ahead of Mark.
«But when I exited the pit lane, my right wheel came off and I had to stop immediately. The right front mechanic lost the nut and wanted to get another one. As he bent down, I think his hand moved and the guy at the front thought it was the sign to lower the car. Then the lollipop was lifted. Let’s hope we won’t have this kind of problem again in the future.»
«It’s disappointing, especially in front of my home crowd because I was really enjoying the race. I had a good rhythm and I enjoyed my battles, especially passing Felipe on the inside at Vale. »
I think we gave the fans something to cheer about, so it’s a shame we couldn’t score more points in the championship. Anyone who had pace at the end of the race had a chance, and I definitely think there was an opportunity to get on the podium here.
Martin Whitmarsh:
Our race pace was good today but it was a difficult afternoon for us and ultimately a disappointing result for the team and for the British fans.
« Jenson had an excellent race, being combative and disciplined, and I think he could have made it to the podium if it hadn’t been for the pit stop issue that prematurely ended his race. »
«Our guys have done a fantastic job throughout the year, but this time they released Jenson before the right front wheel was properly attached. It’s a human error, but as I said, our team has done dozens of stops without the slightest fault under high pressure this season, and today’s mistake was totally unusual. »
« Lewis delivered a very strong performance as well. We expected him to encounter more traffic than he did in the first part of the race. As a result, he used more fuel than we had planned. We asked him to drive conservatively in the final laps to save fuel, which meant he had to slow down, allowing Mark to pass and Felipe to catch up. »
The last lap of the race must have been thrilling to watch for the spectators trackside and the people in front of their televisions, and the fact that Lewis was able to finish fourth ahead of Felipe and score 12 points for the championship proves that he is a tireless competitor.
