OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Istanbul, Turkey, May 29, 2010
P2 for Lewis; P4 for Jenson in Istanbul
LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-25A-01
- P3 programme: 3rd, 1m27.396s (+0.310s), 16 laps
___________
Qualifying:
- Q1: 6th, 1m27.667s (on Primes)
- Q2: 3rd, 1m27.013s (on Primes)
- Q3: 2nd, 1m26.443s (on Options)
�In terms of finding a good balance and getting a clear lap, today was one of the best qualifying sessions I�ve had all year. My lap was as close to perfect as I could possibly get it.
�But we�re still nearly four tenths down in the middle sector. Compared with Barcelona, I don�t think we�ve made a huge step, but we�re making small steps forward to close the gap to the front.
�Tomorrow, I�m going to do everything I can to get a sensible start, get round the first corner and then challenge Mark [Webber], if I can. But I�m on the dirtier side of the track, so that may make it a bit harder for me. And the Red Bulls still have a performance advantage over us, even if it doesn�t show from today�s times. But we�re going to catch them � and then, hopefully, you�ll see Jenson and me up there, with the Red Bulls trying to split us.
�We�ve got to keep pushing; the guys back at the factory are doing an incredible job, even though they�re under immense pressure. We all want to win, we�re taking nothing for granted, and we�re edging closer all the time. I really do believe we�re the best team out there, and, once we make that next step, I�m sure we can move ahead of everyone. But until then all we can do is be as close as we can and apply maximum pressure. And that�s exactly what we�ll be doing tomorrow.�
JENSON BUTTON
- MP4-25A-03
- P3 programme: 8th, 1m27.963s (+0.877s), 17 laps
___________
Qualifying:
- Q1: 3rd, 1m27.555s (on Primes)
- Q2: 6th, 1m27.277s (on Options)
- Q3: 4th, 1m26.781s (on Options)
�Fourth is not too bad, but the final run was a bit frustrating: being the last car on the circuit can be a good thing, because it means you have the cleanest track, but there�s obviously more chance of somebody going off, and that�s what happened with Michael [Schumacher], who was ahead of me on my final lap. And when there�s a yellow flag, you�ve obviously got to back out of it.
�So I just came straight back to the pits, because my final run clearly wasn�t going to be any quicker because of that. The lap wasn�t perfect, but it�s still pretty good to be fourth. We�re on the dirty side of the track, but we�ll see what we can do from there.
�The only performance issue I�ve really had all weekend is through Turn Eight � I was losing three tenths to Lewis there because we were running the car too low. That was my fault � I wanted to run the car low for the rest of the circuit � but it�s just a little bit too low through Turn Eight. Obviously, the car will be heavier at the start of the race tomorrow, but we�ll be going slower, so it won�t be pushed onto the track as much. We�ve got to hope that will help.
�Nevertheless, we seem to be closer to the Red Bulls than I expected this weekend, so that�s a positive, and I reckon we can challenge them in the race.�
MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
�Both our drivers have performed really well so far this weekend, yesterday as well as today. They�ve quietly got on with the job in hand, and today they both drove excellent qualifying laps despite the fact that our cars lacked a little bit of pace in the all-important Turn Eight compared with the Red Bulls.
�Lewis�s lap, which split the Red Bulls to land him a front-row grid slot for tomorrow�s race, was particularly satisfying. But Jenson, too, whose final qualifying run was compromised by the deployment of yellow flags, is also in a very strong position. Both he and Lewis are very combative racers who know how to make up positions, and we think our car will have good race pace tomorrow. As a result, I think the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix could present a very exciting spectacle for the fans.�
* Official photos courtesy of VODAFONE MCLAREN MERCEDES *
Copyright � 2010, car-evolutioncars. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment