Saturday: McLaren misses pole but remains very optimistic

The McLaren Mercedes team made a noticeable leap forward this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton once again topped the timesheets at the end of the final practice session, while Kovalainen set the 4th fastest time. This boosted the team’s spirits ahead of qualifying, with the aim of getting close to pole position.

Finally, at the end of Q3, the Silver Arrows drivers are well placed in 4th and 6th positions but both on the dirty side of the track. The Hungaroring, so dusty, is known for offering little grip on the even side of the grid and may hinder the McLarens’ start, although they may compensate thanks to the KERS.

Lewis Hamilton – 1st and 4th:

«It was very difficult this afternoon. We could have perhaps been closer to pole because my last lap was not perfect, but fourth is a good position to start the race tomorrow. We are not fast enough yet and we need to attack hard but, nonetheless, it’s good to be back fighting for the front grid positions.»

«I have a few cars that I will try to pass at the start, so I hope I’ll have good grip on my side of the grid, it would be fantastic to take the lead of the race at the first corner. And finally, I want to extend my best wishes to Felipe. It was a big accident, and I hope he’s okay.»

Heikki Kovalainen – 4th and 6th:

It was more difficult to find grip on the track this afternoon, and the car was sliding quite a bit. It was already better with the tank loaded, but it was still hard to get the tires properly heated. At one point, I degraded them too much; it was hard to find the right balance, so sixth was the best I could do today.

The most encouraging point today is that we are closer to the front-runners. With the same updates as Lewis, we have made great progress, and it shows the incredible efforts of all the team members. I don’t know if any other team in the paddock could make such a leap forward. We should be encouraged by this, but the work continues to bring us to the front positions.

I really hope Felipe is okay. I hope he’s not injured because it reminded me of my accident in Barcelona last year.

Martin Whitmarsh – Team Director:

Lewis and Heikki put in good laps in Q3, and the result is our best overall qualifying performance this year so far. We believe we have a good race strategy, and we should also be competitive tomorrow. Our goal is to have one car, or ideally both, on the podium, and that seems possible.