The Middle Kingdom is doing quite well for McLaren
Often victorious in China in recent years, the McLaren team approaches this new event with confidence but without complacency, as the British team knows it will have a tough challenge against tighter competition than ever.
The McLaren team is the team that seems the most comfortable on the Shanghai International Circuit in recent years. The British team has won three of the four Chinese Grand Prix races held – including a one-two finish in 2010.
Martin Whitmarsh, the director of the Woking team, hopes to see this series continue this weekend: «The Chinese Grand Prix is a race where we have often shown our advantage – we have won three of the last four races there, following flawless performances by Jenson and Lewis – and we are heading to Shanghai this year with the goal of continuing our streak.»
If the Chinese circuit is as successful for McLaren, it might be because it appeals to both drivers of the team, starting with Jenson Button: I’m used to being in good form in Shanghai, it’s a circuit I particularly enjoy so I’m looking forward to this race weekend. The facilities are incredible, but it’s a great track that’s very modern – the first two sectors are very technical, there are very interesting combinations of corners, and you need a car that responds well.
The 2009 champion also believes that the circuit has been well designed because it is homogeneous, there isn’t a corner that stands out: «Then the track opens up, the straight is one of the longest in Formula 1 – it never seems to end – and then you arrive at the hairpin and the last corner, both of which offer good overtaking opportunities. There’s not one corner that stands out in particular, but that’s good because it means they did a good job with the circuit as a whole.»
Lewis Hamilton also loves China, even if he hasn’t always excelled in Shanghai: I have some intense memories of China – some good, and some not so good! I’ve won there twice – two victories I’m proud of: in 2008, it was a very important race, and I really needed a very good result for the championship – we had an almost perfect weekend with the pole position, fastest lap, and the win. Then in 2011, after a difficult weekend in Malaysia, I had a great race, attacking on every lap and managed to take the lead just before the end of the race. It was an important victory because we proved that we could fight for the championship that year.
The 2008 world champion is coming off two pole positions in Australia and China, and even though he received a five-place grid penalty after changing a gearbox, he still expects to fight at the front this weekend in Shanghai: “I go to China with victory in mind – but it’s also important to score big points if, for any reason, victory isn’t within our reach.”
Even if the financial performance of the McLaren team could be better, Martin Whitmarsh expressed confidence in the qualities of the MP4-27: Although we have mixed feelings about not being able to convert our front row on the grid into a victory (in Malaysia), everyone within the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team is really very excited about the pace we have shown during the first two Grand Prix of the season.
Even though the team from Woking is at the top of the constructors’ standings after two races, Whitmarsh knows that nothing is settled for the moment and that another team could have used these few weeks of “rest” to recover: «Make no mistake, however, we are fully aware that our rivals have not been inactive during the past three weeks. We have also been very busy, and we take nothing for granted: if the hierarchy was somewhat difficult to discern during the first two races, I have no doubt that things will begin to clear up next weekend, and I strongly believe that once again, things will be very tight at the front.»
There is therefore no triumphalism on the part of McLaren, especially since things could be unpredictable in China, as was the case in Malaysia. But regardless of the conditions, Jenson Button feels ready to face them: If it rains, it should still be a very unpredictable race because we are still in the learning phase with the cars and the tires in wet conditions. Whatever happens, it should be interesting. Tire wear should be an important factor – last year, we saw a real difference between the tires – so being well-prepared will be crucial.
