McLaren approaches Spa with both titles as their objective

By winning in Hungary, Lewis Hamilton and McLaren-Mercedes couldn’t have hoped for a better way to approach the summer break after a brief period of doubts at the beginning of the summer: « My victory in Hungary was a fantastic way to approach the summer break; it allowed the whole team to go on vacation with positive feelings. It also gave me hope and assurance that we can come back during the last nine races with real chances to fight for both titles, » states Lewis Hamilton.

For Martin Whitmarsh, the victory of the 2008 world champion at the Hungaroring was all the more welcome as the summer break gave everyone within the team the chance to rest and recharge their batteries before the remaining nine events, which all promise to be exciting and fascinating. After a more complicated start to the season for him than his victory at the inaugural Grand Prix in Australia suggested, the summer break was the perfect combination between relaxation and training for Jenson Button: I went to the Philippines and Hawaii to train and enjoy a bit of vacation, then I returned to Great Britain to do pretty much the same thing, and since I had a really good summer break, I’m really looking forward to getting back to work.

And for this back-to-school season, the calendar offers drivers a choice menu with, one after the other, the Belgian and Italian Grand Prix, held on the legendary circuits of Spa-Francorchamps and Monza. For Martin Whitmarsh, there’s no better place on Earth to see a Formula One car at high speed than at Spa. Jenson Button believes you can’t ask for a more spectacular sequence of races: Spa is the mother of all races, one of the greatest circuits of all time, and Monza is the most historic and evocative circuit on the calendar, each venue with its own atmosphere. The native of Frome hopes to shine there: I have some very good memories on these two circuits, but I haven’t won on either. Given our pace in recent races, I have a good feeling that I can change that in the coming weeks.

For his part, Lewis Hamilton is eagerly waiting to get back behind the wheel of his MP4-27 and tackle the Ardennes circuit: “I couldn’t be happier to get back to business starting with Belgium. Spa is one of the best circuits in the world: it’s always thrilling to nail a fast lap there, and after five weeks out of the cockpit, the first lap on Friday morning will be absolutely sensational.” However, the Briton is not risking making any predictions, even though he thinks the coming weeks could be decisive: “Given the unpredictability of the championship, I think it’s still difficult to accurately predict the winner of the next Grand Prix, but I acknowledge that the coming weeks should give us a slightly clearer idea of the direction the title will take. It will be an extremely tough, tactical, and interesting end to the season. There’s no team with a clear advantage, even though we’re all pushing very hard to close the gap to Fernando in the drivers’ standings; everything is still to play for.”

The constructors’ and drivers’ titles are indeed McLaren’s goal, and Martin Whitmarsh remains optimistic: « After the mandatory factory shutdown, we are fortunate to have had two full weeks ahead of us to prepare for the Belgian Grand Prix. As usual, we approach this series of races confident that we can close the gap with the leaders, both in the drivers’ and constructors’ standings. Lewis’s victory in Hungary has undoubtedly provided us with further proof that we can be in the fight on both fronts, and winning both titles remains our goal. »