Saturday – McLaren slightly behind Ferrari

Just like Ferrari, McLaren made adjustments in the morning to better position themselves at the front of the grid with the qualifications. The 7th and 14th places therefore did not reflect the level of the Woking team.

This afternoon, while perfectly ensuring the minimum, Hamilton lacked that little spark to secure pole position. With both cars in the top 5, McLaren-Mercedes is ideally positioned to capitalize on any mistake from the Ferraris and Kubica!

Lewis Hamilton – 7th and 2nd:

« We knew that our car was performing well and we didn’t have the slightest problem during the qualifications. I felt really comfortable. My first lap wasn’t perfect, far from it, but on my last lap everything went very well. »

The second place on the grid is a good position for tomorrow’s race. However, Felipe Massa was noticeably faster in the first sector, and I hope we will be able to improve in that area by tomorrow. Our team has done an excellent job, and I’m confident that we will be in good shape.

Heikki Kovalainen – 14th and 5th:

« The balance of my single-seater was good and we improved consistently throughout the sessions. However, I’m a bit disappointed with my fifth place on the grid because I didn’t make any mistakes and, in my opinion, I did my best. It’s now up to us to score as many points as possible and to make a good start from the clean side of the grid. Our strategy should allow us to gain positions during the race. »

Ron Dennis – McLaren F1 Director:

« We had a completely satisfactory afternoon both from Lewis and Heikki, characterized by good overall times that reflect their race strategies. Overall, we are well prepared for this first European Grand Prix in Valencia. All the drivers did an exemplary job today by avoiding the walls in difficult conditions. »

We hope that tomorrow’s race will not be marred by incidents and that this event in Valencia will become an integral part of the F1 calendar in the future.