McLaren Review – The team limits damage and remains leader

McLaren-Mercedes did everything it could during this Grand Prix weekend. The penalty given to both drivers had seriously compromised their chances of victory. It was therefore imperative to limit the comeback of the Ferraris and keep the BMWs at a distance.

Massa retired, Kovalainen and Hamilton finished in the top 5, securing 3rd and 5th place respectively. In the championship, the British team remains ahead, as well as in the drivers’ championship with Hamilton in first place.

Heikki Kovalainen – 3rd:

« I am quite happy with my third place today, considering the penalty on the starting grid. This is probably the best result we could hope for under these circumstances. Our strategy worked very well. »

The team really did a fantastic job and I am happy to reward them with my first podium with this team. I had a small grip issue during my first stint but managed to stay on track and overtake Jarno Trulli with my first stop. After my second stop, I was able to secure my third place.

Lewis Hamilton – 5th:

« I had a very good start and I am quite happy to finish in 5th position, it is still 4 places better compared to the starting grid. I was behind Mark for a while but no matter whether you are fast or not, this driver is really difficult to overtake. I was in third position but then I had this issue during my first stop that made me lose a lot of time. »

« So, I did what I could. We were capable of doing better since the car was very reliable in these extreme conditions, and I could have overtaken Jarno. I must say that Marc and Jarno were very good today, it was a pleasure to compete against them. »

Ron Dennis – McLaren F1 Director:

Two very good performances from our two drivers Heikki and Lewis. It’s the end of an eventful week, but we have scored enough points to maintain our lead in both championships. Heikki had a strong race in traffic and ultimately his first podium with the team, which is well deserved.

« Lewis’s race was disrupted by a problem with the nut on his right front wheel during his first stop. This cost him valuable time. The pace of our cars was masked by the fact that they were running in traffic. We are now eagerly awaiting the Bahrain Grand Prix in two weeks. »

Norbert Haug – Mercedes Motorsport Director:

Heikki and Lewis did a very good job after being relegated to eighth and ninth place on the starting grid. With today’s result, we score 10 points. Heikki made the most of his race strategy and achieved his first podium for McLaren Mercedes.

« Obviously, Lewis was having a bad day with two handicaps: starting from ninth place and the problem in the pits that cost him more than 10 seconds. But we finished in the points with both cars in the first two races of the season. We will continue to work hard to improve our performance. »