Friday: McLaren does better than expected!

The McLaren-Mercedes team had warned its fans: It will take a few races to return to the level of yesteryear! The Melbourne Grand Prix could have been the exception, but justice had the final say with Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification.

Today, it’s Malaysia’s turn and the first trials have been quite conclusive for the Woking team. Heikki Kovalainen and Hamilton each delivered a mini-performance, being 9th and 7th respectively during one of the two sessions. The Finnish driver stayed in the pits for a good part of the morning, completing only seven laps.

Heikki Kovalainen – 20th and 9th:

« The track quality was immediately correct with less dust than in Australia. We made progress in the development of the car. When we started to accelerate, it began to destabilize a bit and was more difficult to control. I just need some freshness in the car; I was boiling today! »

Lewis Hamilton – 7th and 11th:

« Obviously, we still need a bit more grip, but the overall assessment is quite positive, especially when we were at high speed. I find the car performs better than expected. »

Martin Whitmarsh – Team Principal:

« Once again, we made full use of the track at our disposal during both Friday sessions to fine-tune the developments on the MP4-24. We focused on the setup used on Sunday for the Grand Prix. »

« We are expecting one of the hottest and most demanding races of the year. Today’s program highlights the encouraging progress of the car, we feel that we are making progress. »