Saturday: McLaren Shines at Monza Like Silver Arrows!

The McLaren-Mercedes team had already distinguished itself throughout the free practice sessions. Hamilton and Kovalainen had started well in the first session by setting the two best times, then during the second session, the Silver Arrows team focused more on testing than performance. The choice was the right one, as it is from pole position that British world champion Lewis Hamilton will start. At the end of a session full of twists and turns, it was the Greys who stood out the most. Finnish Heikki Kovalainen, for his part, takes a commendable 4th place.

The strategy of the Silver Arrows will be to maintain these positions and aim for victory. Kovalainen, for his part, will try to get on the podium.

Lewis Hamilton – 5th and 1st :

It was a very tight session! The car was very good, and I was able to do the perfect lap. I only had one shot to achieve the pole – it’s the most exhilarating and exciting feeling you can have as a race driver. We didn’t expect to be the fastest before this weekend, but I’m in the best possible position, and ready to come out of the first turn cleanly. It’s fantastic to have Adrian [Sutil] alongside me, and we both want a trouble-free start and to enjoy the Grand Prix.

Heikki Kovalainen – 6th and 4th :

I would have preferred the pole position, but I’m happy with this place. Tomorrow, I will see what the strategies of the other drivers are: I think we are going to be strong. We are in good shape, we have a solid and reliable car, and we are looking forward to tomorrow to be very competitive. I have been fast throughout the weekend, and indeed, I felt the car behaved better with a lot of fuel. That’s definitely a positive aspect for the race. Our KERS is going to be very interesting – it’s a boost at the start and it’s useful throughout the race, particularly for overtaking and exiting corners. I’m focusing on tomorrow, as the goal is to win the race.

**Martin Whitmarsh – Team Manager**:

The whole team did a fantastic job today – Vodafone, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, everyone. Both our drivers did excellent aggressive yet controlled laps, and they have good strategies for tomorrow. But while we are happy with our overall performance, the reality is that anything can happen on race day, and we have never underestimated the competition. Nonetheless, we look forward to a great Italian Grand Prix, and we hope to play an important role in the victory.