Malaysian GP – McLaren assumes leader status?

McLaren-Mercedes managed to defy all predictions and emerged from the first race of the 2008 season with the tag of big winners. Lewis Hamilton’s first place and Kovalainen’s 5th allowed the team to comfortably take the lead in the championship.

The pressure is now on McLaren’s shoulders as they need to perform as well as they did a week ago and try to fend off the anticipated comeback from Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton – racing driver.

« We are going to Sepang to achieve another very good result, but it could be an even greater challenge. There isn’t much we can do between the races in Melbourne and Sepang, but we will keep moving forward. »

Sepang is a fantastic track, but the weather plays a big role, making this race very difficult for each of us. The speed is sometimes very high with excellent overtaking opportunities, but in some sections, it is quite tricky to stay alongside the car in front.

This year, we are coming straight from Melbourne, which leaves us only a few days to get used to the extreme heat. We had a great experience in this regard at the Albert Park circuit.

Heikki Kovalainen – racing driver:

« My goal is to do better than my fifth position in Melbourne. We have been really competitive throughout this weekend. I was relaxed and had no pressure on my shoulders. The car was very fast and we now need to work hard to maintain this level of competitiveness in Malaysia.

« I hope I will score points again, it’s necessary if you want to win the championship. I consider this race enjoyable because I have very good memories from last year since it was during this first Grand Prix that I earned my first points. It is a very interesting track, very wide with big turns. »

Martin Whitmarsh – McLaren director:

« It was an encouraging start to the season for the entire McLaren Mercedes team, but we must not rest on our laurels. 2008 will be long, so we must continue to move forward and develop our overall performance. »

« Of course, the determining factor in Malaysia is the temperature and humidity. As far as the car is concerned, cooling the entire system is important. »

« The schedule only allows for various small changes. For this year, the first upgrade will be for the Barcelona Grand Prix. We plan to have a significantly revised aerodynamic package. »

Norbert Haug – President of Mercedes Motorsport:

« The engines of Lewis and Heikki used during the free practice sessions on Friday in Melbourne will be reused for the upcoming tests. The race and qualifying engines will be reinstalled in the MP4/23 at the Sepang circuit on Saturday and Sunday. They have been checked, certified, and shipped in boxes after the race in Australia. »

« With the ambient temperature in Australia of over 40 degrees Celsius, or even higher, and very high humidity, the Malaysian GP will be a real challenge for the entire engine package, especially because it will be used for the second time, that is, two weekends in a row. »

« Due to braking, as well as rapid changes in direction, stability is crucial. »

« It would be a grave mistake to underestimate Ferrari after their race in Australia, and we will not do that. Of course, we’ve had a good start and we are all going to work hard to maintain this advantage in the upcoming races. »