Saturday: Hamilton dominates the competition in Abu Dhabi
Lewis Hamilton secured a brilliant pole position this afternoon in Abu Dhabi. The McLaren driver never seemed to be in trouble, and his goal for tomorrow is simple: fight for the win. Jenson Button, who has the same car, did not perform as well, leaving the 2009 world champion perplexed.
Lewis Hamilton – 1st and 1st
These three tenths of a margin come from my family! Our single-seater is working incredibly well here. Our aerodynamic package suits this track really well; the setup was perfect, and everything went perfectly during qualifying. My lap felt really good – I had a lot of fun. I love this circuit!
But I remain realistic, tomorrow’s race is going to be tough. At the start, it’s up to the team to ensure that the clutch works perfectly because the take-off will be extremely important. Our race pace is very good, just like that of the Red Bulls – and staying ahead will be complicated, especially with the double DRS zone.
I really want to finish on a high note with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. I’m going to give it everything I’ve got for tomorrow.
Jenson Button – 2nd and 6th:
« I really shouldn’t go so far. All weekend, I was happy with my car, but for one reason or another, we didn’t find the right rhythm during qualifying – and we don’t know why. Obviously, the car is very fast here – Lewis secured pole with a nice margin – so there’s more time to find.
Even if starting 6th makes the race more difficult, there are two good DRS zones here for overtaking, so hopefully there will be opportunities to pass. Our race pace seemed good this weekend, so I remain optimistic.
