Friday: A good start for McLaren in Austin
Hamilton and Button are delighted with the new Austin circuit. Both drivers particularly appreciate the first sector, which is the most challenging to master. At the end of this first day, McLaren seems capable of achieving a good result.
Lewis Hamilton – 2nd and 4th:
« I didn’t expect to see so many people in the stands, it makes me even more excited for Saturday and Sunday. It’s a real driver’s circuit, it’s very hard to nail three good sectors. Personally, I find the last two sectors simpler than the first; these quick changes of direction require good adjustments and finding the right compromise between that and the slower corners is tricky. Turn 1 probably looks more exciting from outside than inside the cockpit, it’s certainly not easy. You can oversteer or lock the wheels and it’s difficult to find the right line. »
Overall, we had a good day. Our main difficulty this morning was getting the tires to work with cooler temperatures. But we are going to make some adjustments; there are clearly improvements we can make.
Jenson Button – 4th and 5th:
The track was very slippery this morning – as all new tracks are, especially because it was very cold. But this afternoon, the higher temperatures allowed us to get a better feel for the track during FP2. The section between turn 1 and turn 9 is great, especially if the car is working well. The first turn is a strange and difficult curve with a very wide entry, a bit like turn 3 in India. The third turn here, the start of the esses, is fantastic. It’s faster than Becketts at Silverstone. It’s very unusual to find such a sequence on a modern track, I love it.
« Nevertheless, I don’t think it will be easy to overtake here because it will be very tricky to stay close to the car in front of you. But the track is great to drive and I hope we have a great race. »
