Friday: McLaren at full throttle!

In Hungary, the McLaren drivers demonstrated that the Woking team is still capable of the best. Indeed, it was cars no. 1 and 2 that stood out at the top of the time sheet. Heikki Kovalainen, last year’s winner on the same circuit, set the fastest time in the first free practice session. While his teammate Lewis Hamilton only managed third place during the first round of practice, he had the strength to respond by locking in the first place in the second session of the day.

The McLaren team is showing in the most beautiful way their forward march, gradually making up for the gap with the best…

Lewis Hamilton – 3rd and 1st:

« I love driving here, it’s a really complex track, very technical with lots of bumps, and you need a good rhythm. We’ve refined some improvements on the car that we had at Nurburgring, and we’re making progress, but there’s still a lot of work to do to beat the Red Bulls in particular. Honestly, I just hope to be in Q3 tomorrow [Saturday]. The car is much more competitive, and that’s because we’ve kept working. »

Heikki Kovalainen – 1st and 2nd:

I have had major updates, and the car is more enjoyable to drive. Many modifications have taken place: the grip level is now higher, stability and braking are much better, and the guys have done a fantastic job improving the rear balance of the car. It’s a big job, and I know how hard the team has worked to get here! With today’s performance, we have gained confidence.

**Martin Whitmarsh – Team manager**:

The new aerodynamic package is an improvement on what was introduced on Lewis’s car in Germany. It is a major change compared to the initial plans for the MP4-24, and I believe it is fair to say that this new direction seems to be fruitful. For qualifying, we hope to be able to improve our cars, continue to optimize, and find speed.