Martin Whitmarsh does not feel threatened at McLaren

For a team renowned for its excellence and clinical approach to Formula One, the British Grand Prix did not quite live up to McLaren’s reputation. After being one of the main victims of the exhaust regulation changes, reminding everyone of the team’s pre-season form, the Woking team stood out in qualifying by choosing to send Lewis Hamilton out on used tires in Q3 under changing conditions, before switching to new tires that the British driver could not exploit due to a rain shower, relegating him to a distant 10th place on the grid.

During the race, the mechanics rushed during Jenson Button’s pit stop, and he left without his right front wheel being secured by the mechanic. They also asked Lewis Hamilton, who was on his way to a potential podium, to slow down following an alert about his fuel consumption.

“It’s not one of the best Grand Prix I have experienced,” concedes the Team Principal of the McLaren team. “For a racing driver, it’s difficult to save fuel. It goes against their nature to ask them to slow down. The car also became more difficult to drive as the tires and brakes cooled, which did not prevent Lewis Hamilton from fiercely holding onto fourth place.”

This humiliation at home has led the British media to question Martin Whitmarsh’s future at the helm of the team, where he succeeded the formidable Ron Dennis in 2009, with the English press demonstrating a harshness that the Italian press would not deny in the aftermath of a Ferrari defeat at Monza.

If Martin Whitmarsh admits to feeling the pressure weighing on his shoulders, he remains confident about his chances of keeping his job. “I am accountable to the board of directors, not just Ron Dennis [editor’s note: chairman of the McLaren Group], and they seem happy with the work I am doing.”

But the Briton, long criticized for his supposed lack of character, just as Stefano Domenicali can be by the Italian press, plays down the possible tensions that might exist, according to some, between his predecessor and himself. « I’ve been here for 23 years and I’ve worked with Ron for 23 years. Some people thought I was just a clone of Ron, but I’m not. We have an interesting relationship, with its ups and downs, but it is solid for now. »

The McLaren Team Principal also admits to being a proponent of self-criticism. « I am hard on myself, perhaps even more than you can be in the press. But doing the job I do is an addiction, and success in Formula One is cyclical. We are judged by high standards in this team, and it’s something I approve of, » states the person concerned.