Assessment – Friday – Everything is going smoothly for McLaren!

McLaren-Mercedes has therefore taken the lead on the track on this first day of testing in Malaysia. The team delivered good performances but was particularly impressive due to its consistency across both sessions.

Hamilton secures the fastest time in the afternoon session while Kovalainen finished in 3rd place this morning. McLaren has been one of the key players this Friday with ideal weather conditions, but what will happen tomorrow when rain might disrupt the proceedings?

Lewis Hamilton – 5th and 1st:

« I am quite satisfied with today’s results, which show a consistent pace of the car throughout the session and with a good overall speed. »

Unfortunately, the morning session wasn’t perfect because I had a small problem with the car right at the end, but it didn’t really affect our tire evaluation program and the setup.

Heikki Kovalainen – 3rd and 7th:

It was a good start to the weekend with consistency. The car is pleasant to drive and we made good progress on the set up for the race. The track surface was redone recently and it has been constantly evolving throughout both sessions.

« The conditions here are still very extreme with the heat and humidity, but it hasn’t had any effect on the performance of the cars. »

Martin Whitmarsh – Director of McLaren:

« With these two back-to-back races at the start of the season, it’s often difficult to maintain a development rhythm. But for now, it is impeccable. The two drivers then evaluated several new parts in addition to the tire evaluation work, which is a customary task of Friday tests. »

« Despite the minor issue with Lewis’s car this morning, we are satisfied with the performance demonstrated by the MP4-23. Clearly, improvement is always possible, and the engineers will work hard tonight to find additional tenths, but overall we are happy. »

Norbert Haug – Director of Mercedes Motorsport:

« We didn’t complete many laps today, which was expected. Lewis, Heikki, and the team achieved fast and consistent lap times with both types of tires. »

« However, this will probably not be of much help for tomorrow’s qualifications and Sunday’s race since rain is forecasted, but we should be well equipped to face these conditions. »