Saturday: McLaren stands out at home!

After a disastrous Grand Prix at Silverstone, McLaren had to react. What better place than the Nurburgring circuit, home race for Mercedes-Benz, McLaren’s engine supplier for over twelve years now, to achieve such a performance.

Lewis Hamilton, team leader, set the fastest times during free practice before achieving a very strong 5th place behind the Brawn GP and the Red Bull. The Finnish driver minimized the damage after a big scare during qualifying by taking 6th place. The third row will thus be occupied by the McLaren drivers. The best qualifying result since the beginning of the year. The team based in Woking is hoping to return to the points, or even secure a podium finish, the first of the year.

Lewis Hamilton – 1st and 5th:

« I am really happy to have made it to Q3. It’s a big difference for us this year, and the team has done a fantastic job. The conditions were changing, but it didn’t bother us that much. The guys at the factory worked very hard so that we could have new parts, and that’s what made the big difference. Unfortunately, the track improved after I completed my best lap, but ultimately for Heikki [Kovalainen] and me, 6th and 5th is a very good result. We are definitely capable of fighting for a podium, but tackling the Brawn or the Red Bull will be very difficult. The car is improving and there is still a way to go – but this is really encouraging. The rain doesn’t bother me much for tomorrow, I just want a great race! »

Heikki Kovalainen – 19th and 6th:

« Today, we worked better than expected: we can only be happy. My tire strategy worked well this afternoon. I want to thank the team for their work under the difficult conditions we experienced. This result is very promising for everyone within the team, and our car is performing better here than in previous races. We’ve made improvements to our car, and although my improvements are different from Lewis [Hamilton]’s, it’s very encouraging to notice the progress. We were able to achieve our best qualifying result at home, at Mercedes-Benz – I think they have produced the best engine in Formula 1, and I hope they are proud of their results today. »

Martin-Whithmarsh – Director:

« First of all, congratulations to Mercedes-Benz for having five engines among the top seven – a magnificent result. Obviously, we have made a step forward and having both cars on the third row is a great victory for ourselves. Everyone in this team has worked very hard for these performance upgrades on the car and it is extremely rewarding to start seeing the results of all our efforts. Lewis [Hamilton] and Heikki [Kovalainen] did a fantastic job in extremely difficult circumstances. With today’s result, we look forward to tomorrow. »

Norbert Haug – Vice President, Mercedes Benz Motorsport:

« We have had a good result at home since yesterday. Lewis [Hamilton] and Heikki [Kovalainen] managed to get their cars on the third row – and an even better result could have been possible. The team and the drivers, including Pedro [de la Rosa], have worked tirelessly since our disappointment at the last race in Silverstone, and we have certainly taken a step in the right direction. We should be in good shape for tomorrow’s race and we hope that KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) will help us overtake a few cars at the start. »