Assessment: McLaren does well in the recovery game

Trapped by the weather conditions in Sepang during qualifying, the McLaren drivers were in for a tumultuous race. Benefiting from good starts but on different strategies, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button made their way into the top 8, proving the full potential of their machine and asserting their determination.

Button indeed attempted a new strategic gamble while Hamilton carried out impressive maneuvers on the track, until he was cautioned by race control with a black and white flag.

In the end, with 12 points, McLaren comes within 10 points of its rival Ferrari, still at the top of the standings.

Lewis Hamilton – 6th:

I had a very good start, I moved to the inside and overtook many cars in the first lap. I was able to continue for most of the race on my first set of tires and almost passed Sebastian Vettel after his stop. After my tire change, I tried my best to get past Adrian Sutil, but he was very smart and clean and was simply too fast on the straights. Overall, I’m happy with my race, I couldn’t ask for more to be honest. The team really deserves it, and we are now closer to the top of the constructors’ championship than before the race. So we are very positive and will continue to be for the next race.

Jenson Button – 8th:

My first stint was really difficult. I was on the outside at the first corner, and it wasn’t the right place. So I dropped back and got stuck behind Fernando, whom I couldn’t overtake. I was losing a lot of time, so I decided to pit very early to have a clear track. I gained some ground, but being on hard tires for so long, it became difficult to hold off cars that were 2 seconds quicker. Massa overtook me. Fernando tried several times, and the last time he passed at Turn 1, but I managed to get back in front at the exit, and suddenly his engine failed. I don’t know what happened to him, but we had a good battle. I didn’t imagine that fighting for eighth place would be so difficult! However, it’s good to score some points again.

Martin Whitmarsh – Director

Given their positions on the grid, we witnessed this afternoon two different but equally impressive drives from Lewis and Jenson. Lewis stayed on track for a long time, starting on hard tires and made a prodigious comeback in the first part of the race thanks to some very beautiful overtaking maneuvers. Jenson had a different strategy, starting on softs and stopping early. He then perfectly managed his hard tires, defending his position against cars on fresh tires while maintaining solid lap times. From our point of view, a bit of rain would have been welcome, but given the dry conditions this afternoon, the fact that we are leaving with 12 more points in the championship shows the professionalism and determination of Lewis and Jenson. The team also did a superb job. Our pace was competitive this weekend here in Malaysia, and with a better qualifying performance than in Sepang, we hope for a strong performance in Shanghai.