Spain – Qualifications: Whitmarsh Regrets His Decision

Lewis Hamilton secured pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix during the third and final part of the Spanish Grand Prix qualifying session on Sunday. However, the British driver had to stop on the track on his way back to the pits.

The stewards conducted an investigation into the incident and ultimately decided to exclude the McLaren driver from the qualifying session – allowing Pastor Maldonado to secure his first pole position in F1.

Martin Whitmarsh, the director of the McLaren team, admitted that he regretted his handling of things but confided that he did not expect such a sanction: «In hindsight, I was wrong, but I don’t think many people anticipated that, as a result, we would start at the back of the grid. With hindsight, I would have done things differently and he (Hamilton) could have come in at the end of his out lap. But frankly, I didn’t expect the penalty he received.»

Whitmarsh admitted that the team knew there wasn’t enough fuel but ensured to comply with the regulations by having one liter in the car: During his last qualifying lap, the data indicated that there wasn’t as much fuel on board as we thought. We knew there was a clear rule that says you must provide one liter at the end, so I made a decision that was: okay, there’s a clear rule, there’s no negotiation, let’s make sure we’re compliant.

The Brit admitted that he did not enjoy being in his position following his decision: « We stopped the car with 1.3 liters in the end, but we only found out a few hours later. It could have been three liters, and I would have been embarrassed. But no matter the outcome, I knew I was going to be embarrassed. »

The FIA regulations state that in addition to a minimum of one liter present in the car, the car must return to the pits under its own power. McLaren invoked a case of force majeure because a mechanic had not put enough fuel in the car, but the team’s request was not considered acceptable by the race stewards. Especially since it wasn’t the first time McLaren had attempted such a maneuver.

The 2008 world champion had to pay a fine of 10,000 euros at the Canadian Grand Prix for pushing his car back on the track after his qualifying lap, where he had also taken pole position.