Saturday: McLaren disappoints at home in qualifying

Jenson Button – 6th and 5th

« Today was a rather topsy-turvy day. The car’s balance wasn’t great and it’s always difficult when you discover the behavior of your car at the last minute: it’s not just about pressing a button to change things.

For some teams, the tightening of regulations has been beneficial, but it has handicapped others. So I suppose that fifth place is a fairly good result after what we’ve been through these past few days.

With a little hope, we will still be able to fight with those in front for our home race and give the famous Silverstone crowd something to cheer about.

Lewis Hamilton – 13th and 10th

I appreciated the changing conditions today, but it’s disappointing to finish so far behind. In Q3, we used worn soft tires for our first stint while the others used new tires, and that affected our performance. Then, when we put on new tires for our last stint, it started to rain, so I couldn’t improve my time.

Nevertheless, the fans here are the best in the world – they are sensational, in fact – and they will cheer me on for this race. I really hope to do something special for tomorrow.

Martin Whitmarsh – Team Principal

Clearly, we were expecting better than a fifth and a tenth place in qualifying for our home race, so obviously today’s qualifying was a disappointment.

It will have been a difficult day, marred by numerous back-and-forths related to regulations but also compromised by changing weather conditions.

This combination of facts has made things difficult […] but tomorrow is the day that really counts. With Jenson and Lewis, we have two of the most skilled and combative drivers at the moment. I know how much they would love to put on a show in front of one of the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic Formula One audiences, and you can be assured that they will give 100% as soon as the red lights go out, as will everyone working in the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team.