Sunday: McLaren lacked top speed at Monza
After a rather promising qualifying, the McLaren drivers could only secure one point at the Italian Grand Prix, as reported by a disappointed Jenson Button who was unhappy with his gearbox settings but very appreciative of his mechanics. Sergio Pérez, for his part, could do no better than 12th after a botched pit stop.
Jenson Button – 10th:
« I got off to a bad start when my clutch slipped, and I lost a few places. The first stint was quite fun, but once I got stuck behind Daniel [Ricciardo], there was no way to pass him.
We didn’t have the right gearbox settings today. As a result, as our fuel load decreased and our corner speed was supposed to improve, we were hindered by our limiter, making it easy for the cars behind us to overtake and difficult for us to overtake the cars ahead.
With a clear track, our pace was good, but with a gearbox ratio that short, especially with the DRS, we were hitting the limiter while other cars weren’t.
Moreover, 15 laps before the end, I locked my wheels in the first corner and flat-spotted my right front tire – I couldn’t do much after that due to the vibrations, but I still managed to bring the car home to score a point in the world championship for the team.
Finally, I just want to say a big “thank you” to all the guys in the garage today. They really worked hard to fix the fuel system before the race, in record time, and they expedited all the pit stops to make this happen.
In a tight spot, they are the best guys and, once again, they were flawless today.
Sergio Pérez – 12th:
It was a disappointing afternoon, and I think we deserved more than that. I was hit from behind in the first corner and had to cut the chicane, unfortunately. After that, throughout the race, I was held up by Daniel’s Toro Rosso. My car was generally faster, but its speed on the straights wasn’t enough to get me alongside him and overtake.
We stopped a lap later than planned, and I lost a position to Jenson when the stop didn’t go well. From there, I was stuck in a train of cars, and without a straight-line advantage, I couldn’t pass anyone.
