Summary: A first double win for McLaren this season

Button and Hamilton had raised hopes during the free practice sessions, and they delivered. McLaren thus sees its first one-two finish of the season in China today, with the 2009 world champion ahead of the 2008 world champion.

Jenson Button – 1st: «This is my best victory in F1. Every race you win becomes your best race, but this one is extremely special with very difficult conditions. And it’s a very important win for the whole team. We achieved a one-two today, and what made it possible is that every single element within the team did exactly what it was supposed to do. For the pit stop strategy, you need everything to be just at the right time if you want to win in these conditions. It wasn’t luck that made us win.

We made the right decisions, the guys in the pits and the whole team, I couldn’t have asked for better support. My first months with McLaren have been amazing – I feel like a full member of the team now – and this result gives us excitement for the start of the European season. I hope we will be as strong there as we were today.

Lewis Hamilton – 2nd: First of all, congratulations to Jenson, he did an incredible job and made an excellent tire choice in these conditions. I made my first stop very late and had to return almost immediately to switch back to dry tires. But after that, I pushed hard and gained a lot of positions.

I want to thank the whole team for establishing a very good strategy, but also for the perfect execution of some pit stops. I think the team was at the top of its game today, and I want to thank the guys for their efforts. Towards the end of the race, my tires were really not in good shape anymore, I could still overtake a good number of cars, but I was unable to get Jenson. But we both had a great afternoon, and I think the whole team deserves this incredible one-two. I hope the spectators and viewers enjoyed it, too.

We know we still need to make improvements to the car, but two wins in four races and our positions in both championships motivate us even more. The team is very strong right now, and it’s fantastic to be a part of it. We are confident in making a big step forward for the Spanish Grand Prix next month, and I want to extend my thanks to everyone working so hard in Woking and Stuttgart: your efforts are greatly appreciated, and our results today would not have been the same without you.

Martin Whitmarsh: Today’s race was a serious challenge, both for the drivers and their teams. The strategies were hard to find, but in the end, we chose two different ones that suited Jenson and Lewis. Lewis drove with the passion and flair we are used to seeing from him, and I thought some of his overtakes were sensational.

Jenson, like the world champion he is, managed to secure a truly brilliant victory in challenging conditions. You won’t see many drivers better than him; he was really very, very impressive today. The team also did a fantastic job. It was a very busy afternoon for the mechanics, but I think they did particularly well.

Now, we hope to get out of China as quickly as possible, back home, then to Spain. We are excited to race in Barcelona, where we hope to be very competitive again.

A very strong McLaren team, with mutual respect between the two drivers, which allows them to lead both world championships.