Sunday: Hamilton is proud of himself and McLaren
Martin Whitmarsh is full of praise for the 2008 world champion who, on a two-stop strategy, delivered a blistering race allowing him to finish with points in eighth place after starting from the very back. Less inspired, Jenson Button settles for ninth place.
Lewis Hamilton – 8th:
« I am proud of my performance today as well as the team’s. They did a great job: there was a real improvement in stops after our recent difficulties in this area. All in all, I think the result I achieved today was the best I could do.
I was the only driver to attempt a two-stop strategy and I’m thrilled that it worked. People often say I have an aggressive driving style, but my last stint on hard tires lasted 31 laps, so I admit that I’m proud today of making the tires last.
It was a huge challenge to make my way up the pack from the back, but I never gave up for a single second, right up to the checkered flag. Before the race, I promised I wouldn’t give up and that’s exactly what I did. To me, that’s what racing is all about.
Today, it was essentially about damage limitation, but now, with hindsight, I really can’t complain: despite the setbacks I’ve had this season, I’m still only eight points from the top of the world championship.
The team has worked extremely hard and our car is fast, so when things start to look up, I think I will be in a very good position and it won’t be long before it’s our turn.
Finally, my congratulations to Pastor [Maldonado] and everyone at Williams: it’s a fantastic result for them and a great day for him.
Jenson Button – 9th:
Congratulations to Pastor [Maldonado]! He drove very well, and I think that will give him a lot of confidence, as well as the Williams team. The hierarchy in Formula One is still very unclear at the moment, which is unusual, but that’s how the season is shaping up.
As for us, well, a big part of my afternoon was spent in traffic, and I had a Sauber breathing down my neck for most of the race. However, we weren’t fast enough today, but that’s something I need to solve myself. I need to find settings that suit me better as I feel I have quite poor grip at the moment.
That being said, I really look forward to being in Monaco and having a much better weekend there. It’s a circuit that I love and hopefully it will be a place where I can achieve a good result.
