McLaren is taking a more aggressive approach to the design of its 2010 car that it has with recent contenders, as it eyes a return to world title glory next year.
On the back an its impressive recovery this campaign, where it went from pre-season tail-enders to race winners by the middle of the year, McLaren says the lessons it took on board in 2009 are being applied to the design of its MP4-25.
"It's still too early to be able to say with any confidence how competitive we'll be, but all we can say with any certainty is that we've approached this year's car more aggressively than we perhaps have in the past," said McLaren's engineering director Paddy Lowe.
"We've used the knowledge we gained from heavily developing MP4-24 to stand us in good stead with the 25.
"We feel we're making very good progress, but, equally, we know there are some very capable teams out there too - I'd be surprised if Red Bull Racing and Ferrari don't come out with very strong packages, and I think Mercedes GP will produce another extremely quick car. You don't write anybody off in this business."
Lowe also believes that the fact the design of the 2010 McLaren was pretty much set in stone before Jenson Button's arrival was confirmed will not be a factor in favouring incumbent Lewis Hamilton.
When asked if it was possible the car design would suit Hamilton more, Lowe said: "Not at all. In fact, the opposite is true: you tend to design a racing car to be as neutral as possible. The only way a car is specifically designed for a driver is ergonomically, and, like I say, we're confident that won't be a problem for Jenson.
"You're trying to provide the driver with the broadest possible performance plateau upon which he can improvise to best suit his style. You'd be surprised, too, at how drivers' different approaches very often culminate in a similar lap time, so, in that respect, we're confident that our drivers will be a good match.
"Besides, you usually find that the competitive instinct takes over: when you make a Formula 1 car faster, it invariably works for both drivers. We only engineer for performance – not for individuality"
Lowe's stance about Button's smooth style not leading to any problems with the McLaren has been backed by managing director Jonathan Neale.
"We're lucky in that Lewis and Jenson both have fairly neutral driving styles – as does Pedro – so it's unlikely to be a problem for us next year," he said.
"Without the variables of fuel-load and fuel-effect, people have suggested that tyre degradation will be the next most important performance-limiting factor during a race, but we don't think that's likely to be the case.
"If you look at previous examples of a guy who's kind to his tyres, and a guy who isn't, it's rare for the guy who pushes his tyres to slip backwards in a race. I think what you see is that a driver's speed comes from a broad range of variables – and it's invariably the characteristics of the car that create a degradation issue, rather than the drivers."
And rather than express any fears about the competition between Hamilton and Button hurting McLaren's chances next year, Neale believes the varied strengths of the two drivers could help the team be more competitive.
"I'm absolutely convinced that they'll be a fantastic and competitive partnership," he said. "The reality is that they'll both bring different skill-sets to the table, and from January onwards we'll be able to very rapidly bring their wealth of knowledge and experience to bear on a number of issues – particularly during pre-season testing.
"In some ways, it multiplies our opportunities in a grand prix too: there could well be tracks where Jenson's skill-set is better-suited to the challenge, and equally, tracks where Lewis could excel. In the past, Jenson has demonstrated considerable talent at high-speed circuits, and we're looking forward to building that into our arsenal.
"As long as we provide both drivers with equal opportunities and equal machinery – something we've always done at this team – then we hope they'll be competitive everywhere."
Monday 30 November 2009
Wednesday 18 November 2009
McLaren finally announce Button as new driver
18th November 2009
After many days of negotiations, Button and Hamilton line up for the 2010 series alongside each other in the McLaren-Mercedes.
After many days of negotiations, Button and Hamilton line up for the 2010 series alongside each other in the McLaren-Mercedes.
Monday 16 November 2009
McLAREN AND MERCEDES-BENZ ANNOUNCE REALIGNED LONG-TERM STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
16th November 2009
McLaren and Mercedes-Benz are delighted to announce a realigned long-term strategic alliance.
The agreement covers the next six Formula 1 seasons (2010-15) and also provides mechanisms whereby the partnership may continue beyond 2015.
The reaffirmation of the two companies’ commitment to each other is the result of many weeks of careful and co-operative discussion between the McLaren Group and Daimler AG (the parent companies of, respectively, McLaren Racing and Mercedes-Benz) and covers both parties’ continued involvement in the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 partnership as well as a shared intention to act in the overall best interests of the sport of Grand Prix racing. It also reflects the independent vision of both companies with regard to their automotive production strategies.
The realigned long-term strategic alliance is reflected in three principal resolutions, as follows:
Mercedes-Benz: to power McLaren’s Formula 1 cars until 2015
Having begun in 1995, the McLaren/Mercedes-Benz partnership is already one of the longest engine-supply associations in Formula 1 history; 2009 was its 15th consecutive year and 2015 will be its 21st consecutive year, by which time it will have become by some margin the longest such association in Formula 1 history. Both the McLaren Group and Daimler AG were therefore committed to securing its continuation as part of a realigned long-term strategic alliance, and to have provided mechanisms whereby the partnership may continue beyond 2015. The team will continue to be known as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, its distinctive silver-with-red livery will remain unchanged, and Mercedes-Benz will continue as both an engine supplier and a partner.
McLaren Group: to purchase Daimler AG’s 40 per cent shareholding
In a transaction structured so as to be completed by 2011, the McLaren Group will undertake a phased purchase of the 40 per cent shareholding currently owned by Daimler AG. As a result, the McLaren Group will become a fully independent stand-alone corporate entity.
McLaren Automotive: spun out of the McLaren Group
The McLaren Group will continue as the parent company of McLaren Racing (and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes), McLaren Marketing, McLaren Electronic Systems, McLaren Applied Technologies and McLaren Electronics Inc (USA), focusing chiefly on Formula 1 and associated technologies, while McLaren Automotive has been spun out of the McLaren Group and from 2011 will begin to manufacture its own range of high-performance production sports cars, targeted to penetrate a series of meticulously-selected premium automotive market segments. As such, McLaren Automotive will continue to develop according to a robust business strategy that has been formulated with McLaren’s customary prudence and rigour. The McLaren Group and McLaren Automotive will continue to evolve in line with their respective business strategies, and may in time adopt slightly different shareholder groupings, but they will always share a common goal: to be the best in the world in their respective fields.
Ron Dennis (Executive Chairman, McLaren Automotive; Founding Shareholder, McLaren Group) said:
“This is a win-win situation, for both McLaren and Daimler.
“I’ve often stated that it’s my belief that, in order to survive and thrive in 21st-century Formula 1, a team must become much more than merely a team. That being the case, in order to develop and sustain the revenue streams required to compete and win Grand Prix and World Championships, companies that run Formula 1 teams must broaden the scope of their commercial activities.
“Nonetheless, all of our partners will of course continue to play a crucial role in our Formula 1 programme. For that reason, and because the engines they produce are very competitive, we’re delighted that Mercedes-Benz has committed to continue not only as an engine supplier but also as a partner of ours until 2015 – and perhaps thereafter.
“The next few years will be a very exciting time for McLaren, during which period we intend to become an ever-stronger technological and economic force. Formula 1 will always be a core activity, for sound business reasons as well as for historical sporting reasons: to be clear, our Formula 1 business has traditionally enjoyed great financial security, largely as a consequence of the longevity of our contracts with our partners, many of which have exceeded 15 years of continuous involvement with McLaren. Indeed, two of our partners have been with us for more than 25 years.
“We’re risk-averse by design. Over the past two years we’ve analysed in great detail the challenge of entering the high-performance production sports car market. In the MP4-12C, which will be introduced to market in 2011, we have a car that has inherited the genes of the iconic McLaren F1 of 1994 and has already been the subject of much global media acclaim. It is proposed that it will be produced in a new state-of-the-art production facility adjacent to the existing award-winning McLaren Technology Centre at Woking [Surrey, UK].”
McLaren and Mercedes-Benz are delighted to announce a realigned long-term strategic alliance.
The agreement covers the next six Formula 1 seasons (2010-15) and also provides mechanisms whereby the partnership may continue beyond 2015.
The reaffirmation of the two companies’ commitment to each other is the result of many weeks of careful and co-operative discussion between the McLaren Group and Daimler AG (the parent companies of, respectively, McLaren Racing and Mercedes-Benz) and covers both parties’ continued involvement in the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 partnership as well as a shared intention to act in the overall best interests of the sport of Grand Prix racing. It also reflects the independent vision of both companies with regard to their automotive production strategies.
The realigned long-term strategic alliance is reflected in three principal resolutions, as follows:
Mercedes-Benz: to power McLaren’s Formula 1 cars until 2015
Having begun in 1995, the McLaren/Mercedes-Benz partnership is already one of the longest engine-supply associations in Formula 1 history; 2009 was its 15th consecutive year and 2015 will be its 21st consecutive year, by which time it will have become by some margin the longest such association in Formula 1 history. Both the McLaren Group and Daimler AG were therefore committed to securing its continuation as part of a realigned long-term strategic alliance, and to have provided mechanisms whereby the partnership may continue beyond 2015. The team will continue to be known as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, its distinctive silver-with-red livery will remain unchanged, and Mercedes-Benz will continue as both an engine supplier and a partner.
McLaren Group: to purchase Daimler AG’s 40 per cent shareholding
In a transaction structured so as to be completed by 2011, the McLaren Group will undertake a phased purchase of the 40 per cent shareholding currently owned by Daimler AG. As a result, the McLaren Group will become a fully independent stand-alone corporate entity.
McLaren Automotive: spun out of the McLaren Group
The McLaren Group will continue as the parent company of McLaren Racing (and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes), McLaren Marketing, McLaren Electronic Systems, McLaren Applied Technologies and McLaren Electronics Inc (USA), focusing chiefly on Formula 1 and associated technologies, while McLaren Automotive has been spun out of the McLaren Group and from 2011 will begin to manufacture its own range of high-performance production sports cars, targeted to penetrate a series of meticulously-selected premium automotive market segments. As such, McLaren Automotive will continue to develop according to a robust business strategy that has been formulated with McLaren’s customary prudence and rigour. The McLaren Group and McLaren Automotive will continue to evolve in line with their respective business strategies, and may in time adopt slightly different shareholder groupings, but they will always share a common goal: to be the best in the world in their respective fields.
Ron Dennis (Executive Chairman, McLaren Automotive; Founding Shareholder, McLaren Group) said:
“This is a win-win situation, for both McLaren and Daimler.
“I’ve often stated that it’s my belief that, in order to survive and thrive in 21st-century Formula 1, a team must become much more than merely a team. That being the case, in order to develop and sustain the revenue streams required to compete and win Grand Prix and World Championships, companies that run Formula 1 teams must broaden the scope of their commercial activities.
“Nonetheless, all of our partners will of course continue to play a crucial role in our Formula 1 programme. For that reason, and because the engines they produce are very competitive, we’re delighted that Mercedes-Benz has committed to continue not only as an engine supplier but also as a partner of ours until 2015 – and perhaps thereafter.
“The next few years will be a very exciting time for McLaren, during which period we intend to become an ever-stronger technological and economic force. Formula 1 will always be a core activity, for sound business reasons as well as for historical sporting reasons: to be clear, our Formula 1 business has traditionally enjoyed great financial security, largely as a consequence of the longevity of our contracts with our partners, many of which have exceeded 15 years of continuous involvement with McLaren. Indeed, two of our partners have been with us for more than 25 years.
“We’re risk-averse by design. Over the past two years we’ve analysed in great detail the challenge of entering the high-performance production sports car market. In the MP4-12C, which will be introduced to market in 2011, we have a car that has inherited the genes of the iconic McLaren F1 of 1994 and has already been the subject of much global media acclaim. It is proposed that it will be produced in a new state-of-the-art production facility adjacent to the existing award-winning McLaren Technology Centre at Woking [Surrey, UK].”
Friday 13 November 2009
Raikkonen's management visit McLaren
Kimi Raikkonen’s management team visited McLaren’s Technology Centre on Wednesday as guests of Martin Whitmarsh, itv.com/f1 has learned.
Steve and David Robertson were seen in conversation with the McLaren team principal while walking around parts of the squad’s Woking base.
Former world champion Raikkonen has been heavily linked with a return to McLaren since reaching an agreement with Ferrari to end his contract with the team a year early so that it could make room for Fernando Alonso.
But although the Robertsons’ McLaren visit suggests McLaren is indeed making a serious bid to re-sign the Finn after his three-year stint at Ferrari, itv.com/f1 understands that other candidates remain in the running for the seat alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2010.
Raikkonen has made it clear since his Ferrari departure was confirmed that he is only interested in remaining in Formula 1 next year with a team that will give him the chance to challenge for a second world championship.
Amid speculation that disagreements over money had slowed the progress of his initial talks with McLaren, Raikkonen told reporters at the season finale in Abu Dhabi said he wouldn’t be compromising on any deal just to stay on the grid.
"I have options and I still want to be here [in F1], but everything needs to be perfect," Raikkonen said in Abu Dhabi.
"I have no reason to make any contract that I don't feel 100 per cent happy with.”
The 30-year-old has previously hinted that he could take a sabbatical from F1 or switch to the World Rally Championship if he does not secure a drive he is happy with before next season.
Raikkonen has appeared the most likely driver to become Hamilton’s 2010 team-mate for weeks, although Whitmarsh has previously not ruled out the prospect of Heikki Kovalainen retaining his drive despite his disappointing results this year.
The possibility of new world champion Jenson Button joining Hamilton in an all-British line-up has also been mooted with the star yet to agree a new contract at Brawn.
Steve and David Robertson were seen in conversation with the McLaren team principal while walking around parts of the squad’s Woking base.
Former world champion Raikkonen has been heavily linked with a return to McLaren since reaching an agreement with Ferrari to end his contract with the team a year early so that it could make room for Fernando Alonso.
But although the Robertsons’ McLaren visit suggests McLaren is indeed making a serious bid to re-sign the Finn after his three-year stint at Ferrari, itv.com/f1 understands that other candidates remain in the running for the seat alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2010.
Raikkonen has made it clear since his Ferrari departure was confirmed that he is only interested in remaining in Formula 1 next year with a team that will give him the chance to challenge for a second world championship.
Amid speculation that disagreements over money had slowed the progress of his initial talks with McLaren, Raikkonen told reporters at the season finale in Abu Dhabi said he wouldn’t be compromising on any deal just to stay on the grid.
"I have options and I still want to be here [in F1], but everything needs to be perfect," Raikkonen said in Abu Dhabi.
"I have no reason to make any contract that I don't feel 100 per cent happy with.”
The 30-year-old has previously hinted that he could take a sabbatical from F1 or switch to the World Rally Championship if he does not secure a drive he is happy with before next season.
Raikkonen has appeared the most likely driver to become Hamilton’s 2010 team-mate for weeks, although Whitmarsh has previously not ruled out the prospect of Heikki Kovalainen retaining his drive despite his disappointing results this year.
The possibility of new world champion Jenson Button joining Hamilton in an all-British line-up has also been mooted with the star yet to agree a new contract at Brawn.
Wednesday 11 November 2009
2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
MP4-24-03
Started: 18th
Finished: 11th
Fastest lap: 1m41.316s (18th)
Pitstops: one (Pr-Op)
2009 points: 22 (12th)
After being relegated to 18th on the grid with a gearbox problem in qualifying, Heikki made an impressive start, getting away perfectly and diving down the inside at Turn One to move up five places by the end of lap one.
From there, he began a race-long duel with Kimi Raikkonen, pushing his countryman hard for the first half of the grand prix, rising as high as fifth and then jumping him after making his sole pitstop, on lap 32. Despite establishing a narrow cushion over the Ferrari, Heikki was forced to push for the remainder of the race after his KERS stopped functioning.
Nonetheless, today’s result assures Vodafone McLaren Mercedes of third place in the constructors’ championship, one point ahead of Ferrari.
Heikki said: “I got a really good start and managed to overtake some cars. Unfortunately, the performance of my car was not as I’d have liked, and the heavy fuel load made it harder to make greater progress – but I was fighting right until the last corner.
“After my pitstop, my KERS stopped working, which meant I had to adapt the car to perform well without it. Still, after this race we can reflect on our overall season and look at what a great job we did to secure third position in the constructors’ championship.
“That was thanks to an incredible team effort. We never gave up, and really turned the tables around. And I’m extremely proud to be a part of the team that beat Ferrari in the constructors’ championship for the first time since 2005.”
LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-24-02
Started: 1st
Finished: DNF – precautionary retirement with brake wear problems
Fastest lap: 1m40.367s (3rd)
Pitstops: one (Pr-Pr)
2009 points: 49 (5th)
Starting from pole position, Lewis began steadily to build a cushion over second-placed Sebastian Vettel, setting six consecutive fastest race laps as he established a lead of almost two seconds over the Red Bull Racing driver.
His progress, however, was not to last: Lewis began to encounter braking issues – a problem that caused him to out-brake himself and run wide at Turn 17, losing half of his advantage. A couple of laps later, the problem became more apparent: he was suffering from unusually high pad wear on his right-rear wheel.
Despite his engineers attempting to cope with the issue by putting Lewis into a brake-conservation mode, the wear-rate refused to drop off, and a decision was promptly made to bring him into the pits rather than risk imminent brake failure.
The team will thoroughly investigate the cause of the issue – but initial analysis suggests this was a one-off incidence of a faulty pad.
After stopping, Lewis said: “I had a good start, but I realised early on that something wasn’t right with the brakes. After three or four laps, it became clear that there was a problem with my right-rear brake pad, so I couldn’t open up the gap back to Sebastian and Mark [Webber].
“When the problem got worse, the team radioed me and told me to stop at the end of the lap. Of course, it’s a shame that we couldn’t show the performance we’d had throughout the weekend – but sometimes that’s racing.
“However, I think we can be really proud of our efforts: who’d have thought we’d finish third in the constructors’ championshipat the start of this season? It’s been an incredible year, and now I can’t wait for next season to start so I can fight for the world championship again.”
MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Lewis drove absolutely superbly all weekend – in fact he drove absolutely superbly all year.
“Today, though, after just five laps, his right rear brake pad began to show signs of an unusual level of wear – a rogue pad, we think – and as a result we had to stop him for safety reasons. That was an enormous pity, because up to that point he’d shown blistering pace every day here in Abu Dhabi.
“In many ways, therefore, for us, today’s race was a disappointing end to a challenging season – but, overall, there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful about it. The team has worked tremendously hard all year to improve MP4-24, which started the year as one of the slower cars but ended it with two fine wins and a string of impressive points-scoring finishes, culminating in a dominant pole position here yesterday. And Mercedes-Benz’s engines have been excellent all year.
“But perhaps more important still is that work on MP4-25 is already going very encouragingly – it’s already quicker than MP4-24 – and there’s every reason for us to be confident that we’ll be able to continue to develop and improve it significantly between now and the beginning of the 2010 season.
“Returning to this weekend, though, yet again Heikki was the undeserved victim of bad luck. His qualifying was spoiled through no fault of his own and as a result he lined up 18th for today’s race. He made a fantastic start – displaying a perfect combination of aggression and discipline – and passed Kimi at the first pitstops as a result, just as we’d hoped he would. Thereafter he stayed ahead of Kimi – which wasn’t strictly necessary from a points-scoring point of view but gave us the comfort we needed in terms of the constructors’ championship – and then adapted extremely well to the performance and balance compromises forced upon him by a mid-race KERS failure.
“Talking of the constructors’ championship, the fact that we beat Ferrari to third place is of course a matter of pride to us, and I want to pay tribute to all at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for the superhuman efforts they all made in achieving that milestone. Ferrari are always formidable opponents for us, and next year we hope to beat them again – this time for first place rather than third.
“Last of all, I want to say what a wonderful event the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was. Equally, we’re all very much looking forward to returning to this part of the world in March next year, to kick off the 2010 season in equally fine style in Bahrain.”
NORBERT HAUG
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“This inaugural Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi was a great venue to finish this remarkable 2009 season.
“A shame for Lewis, who drove fantastically the whole weekend and then had to stop due to a brake pad problem – he was the class of the field on Friday and Saturday, as his remarkable qualifying lap proved yesterday. Heikki suffered from starting 18th after a gearbox change, and, during the race, his KERS Hybrid system caused a problem, so Heikki had to switch it off after half-distance, and his speed was obviously compromised by that.
“Looking back at this season, the team recovered brilliantly from our uncompetitiveness in the first half of the season, and Lewis posted four pole positions in the last seven races.
“On the engine side, we did not have one failure. Mercedes-Benz this year supplied a total of six cars, Brawn GP and Jenson Button clinched both world championships – congratulations again – so that was very positive.
“I’d like to thank everybody in the team at Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart for all their relentless hard work. It paid off – and it will pay off even more in the future.
“Finally, congratulations to our German friend Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull team for a great victory at this inaugural very special grand prix of Abu Dhabi.”
MP4-24-03
Started: 18th
Finished: 11th
Fastest lap: 1m41.316s (18th)
Pitstops: one (Pr-Op)
2009 points: 22 (12th)
After being relegated to 18th on the grid with a gearbox problem in qualifying, Heikki made an impressive start, getting away perfectly and diving down the inside at Turn One to move up five places by the end of lap one.
From there, he began a race-long duel with Kimi Raikkonen, pushing his countryman hard for the first half of the grand prix, rising as high as fifth and then jumping him after making his sole pitstop, on lap 32. Despite establishing a narrow cushion over the Ferrari, Heikki was forced to push for the remainder of the race after his KERS stopped functioning.
Nonetheless, today’s result assures Vodafone McLaren Mercedes of third place in the constructors’ championship, one point ahead of Ferrari.
Heikki said: “I got a really good start and managed to overtake some cars. Unfortunately, the performance of my car was not as I’d have liked, and the heavy fuel load made it harder to make greater progress – but I was fighting right until the last corner.
“After my pitstop, my KERS stopped working, which meant I had to adapt the car to perform well without it. Still, after this race we can reflect on our overall season and look at what a great job we did to secure third position in the constructors’ championship.
“That was thanks to an incredible team effort. We never gave up, and really turned the tables around. And I’m extremely proud to be a part of the team that beat Ferrari in the constructors’ championship for the first time since 2005.”
LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-24-02
Started: 1st
Finished: DNF – precautionary retirement with brake wear problems
Fastest lap: 1m40.367s (3rd)
Pitstops: one (Pr-Pr)
2009 points: 49 (5th)
Starting from pole position, Lewis began steadily to build a cushion over second-placed Sebastian Vettel, setting six consecutive fastest race laps as he established a lead of almost two seconds over the Red Bull Racing driver.
His progress, however, was not to last: Lewis began to encounter braking issues – a problem that caused him to out-brake himself and run wide at Turn 17, losing half of his advantage. A couple of laps later, the problem became more apparent: he was suffering from unusually high pad wear on his right-rear wheel.
Despite his engineers attempting to cope with the issue by putting Lewis into a brake-conservation mode, the wear-rate refused to drop off, and a decision was promptly made to bring him into the pits rather than risk imminent brake failure.
The team will thoroughly investigate the cause of the issue – but initial analysis suggests this was a one-off incidence of a faulty pad.
After stopping, Lewis said: “I had a good start, but I realised early on that something wasn’t right with the brakes. After three or four laps, it became clear that there was a problem with my right-rear brake pad, so I couldn’t open up the gap back to Sebastian and Mark [Webber].
“When the problem got worse, the team radioed me and told me to stop at the end of the lap. Of course, it’s a shame that we couldn’t show the performance we’d had throughout the weekend – but sometimes that’s racing.
“However, I think we can be really proud of our efforts: who’d have thought we’d finish third in the constructors’ championshipat the start of this season? It’s been an incredible year, and now I can’t wait for next season to start so I can fight for the world championship again.”
MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Lewis drove absolutely superbly all weekend – in fact he drove absolutely superbly all year.
“Today, though, after just five laps, his right rear brake pad began to show signs of an unusual level of wear – a rogue pad, we think – and as a result we had to stop him for safety reasons. That was an enormous pity, because up to that point he’d shown blistering pace every day here in Abu Dhabi.
“In many ways, therefore, for us, today’s race was a disappointing end to a challenging season – but, overall, there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful about it. The team has worked tremendously hard all year to improve MP4-24, which started the year as one of the slower cars but ended it with two fine wins and a string of impressive points-scoring finishes, culminating in a dominant pole position here yesterday. And Mercedes-Benz’s engines have been excellent all year.
“But perhaps more important still is that work on MP4-25 is already going very encouragingly – it’s already quicker than MP4-24 – and there’s every reason for us to be confident that we’ll be able to continue to develop and improve it significantly between now and the beginning of the 2010 season.
“Returning to this weekend, though, yet again Heikki was the undeserved victim of bad luck. His qualifying was spoiled through no fault of his own and as a result he lined up 18th for today’s race. He made a fantastic start – displaying a perfect combination of aggression and discipline – and passed Kimi at the first pitstops as a result, just as we’d hoped he would. Thereafter he stayed ahead of Kimi – which wasn’t strictly necessary from a points-scoring point of view but gave us the comfort we needed in terms of the constructors’ championship – and then adapted extremely well to the performance and balance compromises forced upon him by a mid-race KERS failure.
“Talking of the constructors’ championship, the fact that we beat Ferrari to third place is of course a matter of pride to us, and I want to pay tribute to all at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for the superhuman efforts they all made in achieving that milestone. Ferrari are always formidable opponents for us, and next year we hope to beat them again – this time for first place rather than third.
“Last of all, I want to say what a wonderful event the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was. Equally, we’re all very much looking forward to returning to this part of the world in March next year, to kick off the 2010 season in equally fine style in Bahrain.”
NORBERT HAUG
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“This inaugural Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi was a great venue to finish this remarkable 2009 season.
“A shame for Lewis, who drove fantastically the whole weekend and then had to stop due to a brake pad problem – he was the class of the field on Friday and Saturday, as his remarkable qualifying lap proved yesterday. Heikki suffered from starting 18th after a gearbox change, and, during the race, his KERS Hybrid system caused a problem, so Heikki had to switch it off after half-distance, and his speed was obviously compromised by that.
“Looking back at this season, the team recovered brilliantly from our uncompetitiveness in the first half of the season, and Lewis posted four pole positions in the last seven races.
“On the engine side, we did not have one failure. Mercedes-Benz this year supplied a total of six cars, Brawn GP and Jenson Button clinched both world championships – congratulations again – so that was very positive.
“I’d like to thank everybody in the team at Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart for all their relentless hard work. It paid off – and it will pay off even more in the future.
“Finally, congratulations to our German friend Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull team for a great victory at this inaugural very special grand prix of Abu Dhabi.”
Sunday 8 November 2009
Lewis: I love F1 more than ever
Lewis Hamilton says he has lost none of passion for Formula 1 during his tough 2009 season and is already raring to get back on track.
The former world champion had a desperate start to his title defence - with McLaren among the slowest cars at first and Hamilton at the centre of a scandal after he misled the stewards in Melbourne.
But the team fought back and was back at the top by the end of the year, winning at the Hungaroring and in Singapore.
Far from being eager for a break after his punishing 2009 campaign, Hamilton wants to get 2010 underway as soon as possible.
"To be honest, I'm ready to go racing again next week," he said in an interview with his personal website.
"At the moment, I think I can safely say that I'm more in love with Formula 1 than I've ever been, and I just can't wait to get back out there again!"
He believes he has improved more during 2009 than he did when fighting for titles in the previous two years.
"I've learnt a lot about effort, dedication, motivation: things that you almost take for granted when you are at the front, but which mean a lot more when you are fighting at the back," said the former champion.
"I've grown as a man, and as a driver.
"I've faced bigger hurdles this year than in my previous two seasons and I think I now know how to cope with things better than I did – even from one year ago."
Hamilton reckons McLaren has also improved in adversity.
"I also think we are a much closer group now, too," he said.
"We've known each other for one more season, and the physical bonds between us all are so much tighter – we've been through a lot together and we know each other a lot better.
"That's something I really appreciate – and I think that will make us a better fighting unit next season."
He also paid tribute to the British fans for standing by him this year, particularly when he spent the Silverstone weekend in the midfield.
"I arrived knowing that I wouldn't be able to fight for a win, and where I was just overwhelmed by the amount of support from the people at the circuit," Hamilton recounted.
"I would never have imagined it would have been such a positive and inspiring weekend for me – even if our results weren't that great.
"I'd had such an amazing race at Silverstone in 2008, and it really meant a lot to me to see that people had kept the faith and were behind me even if I couldn't score a win for them."
The former world champion had a desperate start to his title defence - with McLaren among the slowest cars at first and Hamilton at the centre of a scandal after he misled the stewards in Melbourne.
But the team fought back and was back at the top by the end of the year, winning at the Hungaroring and in Singapore.
Far from being eager for a break after his punishing 2009 campaign, Hamilton wants to get 2010 underway as soon as possible.
"To be honest, I'm ready to go racing again next week," he said in an interview with his personal website.
"At the moment, I think I can safely say that I'm more in love with Formula 1 than I've ever been, and I just can't wait to get back out there again!"
He believes he has improved more during 2009 than he did when fighting for titles in the previous two years.
"I've learnt a lot about effort, dedication, motivation: things that you almost take for granted when you are at the front, but which mean a lot more when you are fighting at the back," said the former champion.
"I've grown as a man, and as a driver.
"I've faced bigger hurdles this year than in my previous two seasons and I think I now know how to cope with things better than I did – even from one year ago."
Hamilton reckons McLaren has also improved in adversity.
"I also think we are a much closer group now, too," he said.
"We've known each other for one more season, and the physical bonds between us all are so much tighter – we've been through a lot together and we know each other a lot better.
"That's something I really appreciate – and I think that will make us a better fighting unit next season."
He also paid tribute to the British fans for standing by him this year, particularly when he spent the Silverstone weekend in the midfield.
"I arrived knowing that I wouldn't be able to fight for a win, and where I was just overwhelmed by the amount of support from the people at the circuit," Hamilton recounted.
"I would never have imagined it would have been such a positive and inspiring weekend for me – even if our results weren't that great.
"I'd had such an amazing race at Silverstone in 2008, and it really meant a lot to me to see that people had kept the faith and were behind me even if I couldn't score a win for them."
Monday 2 November 2009
McLaren: Lewis Hamilton's Formula One car will be even faster next year
Lewis Hamilton failed to end 2009 with the win that was expected of him after he dominated practice and qualifying for the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hamilton's year as world champion sadly came to a premature end after 20 laps around the stunning Yas Marina circuit due to an issue with a right rear brake.
Mark Blundell: Jenson Button best paired with Brawn Despite that, Whitmarsh and Hamilton had every reason to feel proud of the team's fighting finish following a wretched start which saw the team take a miserable 14 points from the first nine races.
In the closing eight grands prix they netted 57 - 40 from Hamilton - to clinch a superb third place in the constructors' standings, a point ahead of their great rivals Ferrari.
Now the focus turns to next year, with McLaren seemingly already ahead of the game.
"The race was a disappointing end to a challenging season, but overall there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful about it," said Whitmarsh.
"The team has worked tremendously hard all year to improve the car, which started as one of the slower, but ended it with two fine wins and a string of impressive points-scoring finishes.
"The fact we beat Ferrari to third place is also a matter of pride to us, and I want to pay tribute to all at the team for the superhuman efforts they made in achieving that milestone.
"Ferrari are always formidable opponents for us, and next year we hope to beat them again - this time for first place rather than third.
"Perhaps more important still is that work on next year's car is already going very encouragingly - it's already quicker than the current car.
"So there's every reason for us to be confident we'll be able to continue to develop and improve it significantly between now and the beginning of the 2010 season."
Hamilton's 40 points from the last eight races was still more than any other driver, and in three of those he failed to finish.
There was natural disappointment at being unable to end the season on a high.
But the 24-year-old is already looking forward to next year, and a more sustained tilt at the championship when he hopes to regain his crown.
"Of course, it's a shame we couldn't show the performance we'd had throughout the weekend, but sometimes that's racing," said Hamilton.
"However, I think we can be really proud of our efforts. Who'd have thought we'd finish third in the constructors' championship at the start of this season?
"It's been an incredible year, and now I can't wait for next season to start so I can fight for the world championship again."
Hamilton's year as world champion sadly came to a premature end after 20 laps around the stunning Yas Marina circuit due to an issue with a right rear brake.
Mark Blundell: Jenson Button best paired with Brawn Despite that, Whitmarsh and Hamilton had every reason to feel proud of the team's fighting finish following a wretched start which saw the team take a miserable 14 points from the first nine races.
In the closing eight grands prix they netted 57 - 40 from Hamilton - to clinch a superb third place in the constructors' standings, a point ahead of their great rivals Ferrari.
Now the focus turns to next year, with McLaren seemingly already ahead of the game.
"The race was a disappointing end to a challenging season, but overall there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful about it," said Whitmarsh.
"The team has worked tremendously hard all year to improve the car, which started as one of the slower, but ended it with two fine wins and a string of impressive points-scoring finishes.
"The fact we beat Ferrari to third place is also a matter of pride to us, and I want to pay tribute to all at the team for the superhuman efforts they made in achieving that milestone.
"Ferrari are always formidable opponents for us, and next year we hope to beat them again - this time for first place rather than third.
"Perhaps more important still is that work on next year's car is already going very encouragingly - it's already quicker than the current car.
"So there's every reason for us to be confident we'll be able to continue to develop and improve it significantly between now and the beginning of the 2010 season."
Hamilton's 40 points from the last eight races was still more than any other driver, and in three of those he failed to finish.
There was natural disappointment at being unable to end the season on a high.
But the 24-year-old is already looking forward to next year, and a more sustained tilt at the championship when he hopes to regain his crown.
"Of course, it's a shame we couldn't show the performance we'd had throughout the weekend, but sometimes that's racing," said Hamilton.
"However, I think we can be really proud of our efforts. Who'd have thought we'd finish third in the constructors' championship at the start of this season?
"It's been an incredible year, and now I can't wait for next season to start so I can fight for the world championship again."
Lewis: Brake problem masked our pace
Lewis Hamilton said the brake problem that forced his retirement from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix had hindered him for many laps and prevented him from demonstrating his McLaren’s true speed.
Hamilton had been peerless in qualifying and was expected to walk away with the season finale, but instead was unable to shake off the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber in the opening stint.
A mistake under braking for turn 17 on lap 11 reduced his cushion over Vettel to less than one second, and although he inched away again he lost the lead to the German at the first pit stops.
The team later said it had spotted signs of abnormally high wear on the right-rear brake bad after just a handful of laps and had instructed Hamilton to conserve the brakes.
After those efforts proved fruitless, it called him into the garage to retire rather than risk a brake failure.
“I had a good start, but I realised early on that something wasn’t right with the brakes,” related Hamilton.
“After three or four laps, it became clear that there was a problem with my right-rear brake pad, so I couldn’t open up the gap back to Sebastian and Mark.
“When the problem got worse, the team radioed me and told me to stop at the end of the lap.”
McLaren said it would be conducting a full investigation into the cause but that its initial analysis pointed to a faulty brake bad.
Although he was disappointed not to be able to take race-winning momentum into the winter, Hamilton feels the team’s impressive recovery from a poor start to the season stands it in good stead for 2010.
“Of course, it’s a shame that we couldn’t show the performance we’d had throughout the weekend – but sometimes that’s racing,” he said.
“However, I think we can be really proud of our efforts: Who’d have thought we’d finish third in the constructors’ championship at the start of this season?
“It’s been an incredible year, and now I can’t wait for next season to start so I can fight for the world championship again.”
Hamilton had been peerless in qualifying and was expected to walk away with the season finale, but instead was unable to shake off the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber in the opening stint.
A mistake under braking for turn 17 on lap 11 reduced his cushion over Vettel to less than one second, and although he inched away again he lost the lead to the German at the first pit stops.
The team later said it had spotted signs of abnormally high wear on the right-rear brake bad after just a handful of laps and had instructed Hamilton to conserve the brakes.
After those efforts proved fruitless, it called him into the garage to retire rather than risk a brake failure.
“I had a good start, but I realised early on that something wasn’t right with the brakes,” related Hamilton.
“After three or four laps, it became clear that there was a problem with my right-rear brake pad, so I couldn’t open up the gap back to Sebastian and Mark.
“When the problem got worse, the team radioed me and told me to stop at the end of the lap.”
McLaren said it would be conducting a full investigation into the cause but that its initial analysis pointed to a faulty brake bad.
Although he was disappointed not to be able to take race-winning momentum into the winter, Hamilton feels the team’s impressive recovery from a poor start to the season stands it in good stead for 2010.
“Of course, it’s a shame that we couldn’t show the performance we’d had throughout the weekend – but sometimes that’s racing,” he said.
“However, I think we can be really proud of our efforts: Who’d have thought we’d finish third in the constructors’ championship at the start of this season?
“It’s been an incredible year, and now I can’t wait for next season to start so I can fight for the world championship again.”
Sunday 1 November 2009
Hamilton confident of 2010 title shot
Lewis Hamilton says McLaren's late season surge has left him optimistic about the team being back in the hunt for world championship glory next season.
Although he still feels that the MP4-24 has its flaws, the outgoing world champion believes the fact the team got to the bottom of went wrong with its 2009 design is key to ensuring it gets its 2010 car spot on.
"It is extremely encouraging," said Hamilton about the end of year form. "I cannot express how encouraging it is. When you come from a team where for two years you have had a good, competitive car, to the beginning of the year where you had your doubts and you felt the car was just nowhere, and didn't know when or if it would get better, it is encouraging for the future.
"But it is also such an encouraging feeling to be working so close with everyone, my team-mate, and all the guys back at the factory. Bit by bit we are getting there."
Although McLaren opted to keep pushing with improving its current car this season, while rivals Ferrari and Renault switched all their efforts onto their 2010 cars early on, Hamilton thinks the team has not sacrificed any potential for next year.
"Sure you can always start earlier, but we had to understand and work with this year's car to know where we were going," he said.
"If you start making a new car but don't know where you've been or where you are coming from, then you cannot work on it. We think we have done a great job, a very good approach to understand mistakes and wrong routes/right routes with this car, to improve it to the point that we are now.
"But we have been focusing on next year's car for some time now so we should be quite strong."
And despite being one of the highest scoring drivers in the second half of the season, Hamilton thinks his current McLaren is still lacking compared to its rivals.
"Even though it is feeling quite good here on these slow speed corners, it is still not the best car by a fair amount," he said. "We still have a lot to improve on. And the foundations of the car are not perfect, so we need to improve that for next year.
"The faster we get, the worse the car gets in the high speed corners, and if we went to places like Spa we would struggle still. But the reliability has been good, the engine has been performing fantastically, and we have definitely got closer.
"If we had this car from the beginning we would have got closer, and if we had started from here we would have just continued to improve."
Although he still feels that the MP4-24 has its flaws, the outgoing world champion believes the fact the team got to the bottom of went wrong with its 2009 design is key to ensuring it gets its 2010 car spot on.
"It is extremely encouraging," said Hamilton about the end of year form. "I cannot express how encouraging it is. When you come from a team where for two years you have had a good, competitive car, to the beginning of the year where you had your doubts and you felt the car was just nowhere, and didn't know when or if it would get better, it is encouraging for the future.
"But it is also such an encouraging feeling to be working so close with everyone, my team-mate, and all the guys back at the factory. Bit by bit we are getting there."
Although McLaren opted to keep pushing with improving its current car this season, while rivals Ferrari and Renault switched all their efforts onto their 2010 cars early on, Hamilton thinks the team has not sacrificed any potential for next year.
"Sure you can always start earlier, but we had to understand and work with this year's car to know where we were going," he said.
"If you start making a new car but don't know where you've been or where you are coming from, then you cannot work on it. We think we have done a great job, a very good approach to understand mistakes and wrong routes/right routes with this car, to improve it to the point that we are now.
"But we have been focusing on next year's car for some time now so we should be quite strong."
And despite being one of the highest scoring drivers in the second half of the season, Hamilton thinks his current McLaren is still lacking compared to its rivals.
"Even though it is feeling quite good here on these slow speed corners, it is still not the best car by a fair amount," he said. "We still have a lot to improve on. And the foundations of the car are not perfect, so we need to improve that for next year.
"The faster we get, the worse the car gets in the high speed corners, and if we went to places like Spa we would struggle still. But the reliability has been good, the engine has been performing fantastically, and we have definitely got closer.
"If we had this car from the beginning we would have got closer, and if we had started from here we would have just continued to improve."
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