Friday: McLaren drivers already competitive
Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time during both practice sessions of the day, and the British driver expressed his delight with his McLaren MP4-27. Jenson Button also appeared at the front and is similarly pleased with his setup. However, both men know that nothing is decided yet and that there is still work to be done before they can aim for a good spot on the grid and a strong race result.
Lewis Hamilton – 1st and 1st:
«It has been a very positive day. I am very happy. During the sessions, we made useful changes to the car, and we are heading in the right direction, but we still have work to do. The guys did a fantastic job. We will keep pushing.
I’m in the loop. I have been all year. I feel a lot of support from my fans, here and everywhere else, and I think things look good for this weekend. I’m going to focus on maximizing every lap and every opportunity.
Overtaking is difficult here, so qualifying and track position will be crucial. Some drivers might do long stints, or shorter stints (in the race). But regardless, Jenson and I will try to qualify well and start near the front.
I love this track, even though overtaking is a real challenge. It’s a driver’s circuit, with real character – with some nice corners, interesting elevation changes – and the combination of these elements makes it enjoyable to drive. It’s really smooth.
I am happy with my workday, and I think the guys in the garage will be happy with their day as well. They should be. Well done, guys!
Jenson Button – 2nd and 6th:
The Free Practice 1 session was pretty good for us – we were competitive from the start, actually. This afternoon, during Free Practice 2, we tried several small things to improve the balance of the car, and I think we made good progress in the end.
So I’m happy with the car overall, and I think we are competitive here, but during the second free practice, we saw that many teams were competitive here as well. As always, it will be about finding the best balance.
I recognize that we will have a great fight for victory this weekend. That being said, we had a good car in Hockenheim, and we should have a good car here as well, so we should be fighting at the front. As I said, it will be very tight nevertheless.
The circuit is known as one of the most difficult for overtaking, but I think it will be possible to do it in the DRS zone on the pit straight. Anywhere else, it will probably be tricky to attempt an overtaking maneuver. But it’s a fun circuit to drive on, and it’s where I took my first Grand Prix victory, so it’s a special place.
