Assessment: McLaren Deserved Much Better at Monza

The weekend started strong for the McLaren drivers. 1st and 4th on the starting grid, the Woking-based team seemed to be favorites against Ferrari and Brawn GP. Lewis Hamilton, with his two-stop strategy, had to attack throughout the 53 laps to counter Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button. At the start of the final lap, the reigning world champion was still in 3rd, but that was without considering the fighting spirit and flair of the Brit. He ended his race in the wall.

His teammate, less fortunate in the first round, managed to take 3 points and climb to 6th position. A place that is not satisfactory for McLaren, who definitely deserved better.

Heikki Kovalainen – 6th:

I’m a little disappointed today. My race started with a difficult start, which cost me several places in the first lap. Then, I couldn’t really push in my first stint because my tires didn’t allow me to attack. Things went better in the second stint, but actually, it was too late to make up for the lost time from the first stint.

Lewis Hamilton – DNF:

I wasn’t on the optimal strategy with two pit stops. I was clawing back each tenth of a second, and I made no mistakes – until the last lap. It’s unfortunate – but these things happen, it’s a racing incident. I was really pushing hard on that lap and using the KERS to close in on Jenson, then I exited Lesmo and the rear slipped away, and I hit the wall.

I can only say sorry to the team – they did an excellent job, and although we were not as fast as the Brawn today, I pushed the car to the maximum, and I was happy to do so.

Norbert Haug – Vice President of Mercedes-Benz:

The way Lewis drove was excellent. He had the speed to finish on the podium. He was only 5 seconds behind the leader before crashing into the wall on the last lap. Heikki, starting in 4th position, finished 6th, but 3 points are not enough for the team. The positive side is that Lewis had the speed to win, as in Hungary and Valencia. Congratulations to Adrian Sutil, who scored his first points of the season with great motivation. Force India did an excellent job.