Brawn GP may have pocketed both championships in Brazil, but McLaren aren’t giving up on 2009 just yet, with team principal Martin Whitmarsh hoping they’ll leave this weekend’s inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as the strongest team of the season’s second half.
After their disastrous start to the year, McLaren have certainly pulled off a miraculous comeback in 2009, turning a car that had qualified down in 18th at the season opener in Australia into one that has been frequently challenging for poles and podiums as the season has entered its final stages.
To put that into context, Lewis Hamilton has been the top-scoring driver since July’s German Grand Prix with his 40-point haul, while the team as a whole - with the help of Heikki Kovalainen - have scored 58. That’s two more than champions Brawn have managed, 14 more than traditional rivals Ferrari and just three less than Red Bull.
“If we look at the second half of this year, then Lewis has scored more points than any other driver, and we are a couple of points light of Red Bull,” Whitmarsh explained during a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 'Phone-In' session. “So hopefully this weekend we can firmly establish ourselves as having won the second half of the season. I very much hope and believe that we have a good chance of winning in Abu Dhabi.”
For Whitmarsh, who became team principal at the start of the year after two decades at McLaren, their bounce back this season is a source of immense satisfaction.
“It was an amazingly difficult start to the year for the team and for Lewis,” he said. “To have had such a traumatic start and to have really knuckled down and developed a car that is really there or thereabouts, challenging for a win at every circuit since Germany, fills me with enormous pride with what they have done.”
As well as believing McLaren will put in a competitive performance at this weekend’s Yas Marina season finale, Whitmarsh is also very optimistic concerning the team’s 2010 prospects, when he expects them to again be on the pace, this time from the outset.
“The confidence for next year is good,” he concluded. “Despite a good turnaround in the season, we weren’t realistically competing for this year’s championship. Therefore we’ve put a tremendous amount of effort into next year’s car. I know that it is already a quicker car inherently than the car that we have this year, and good progress is being made day by day as we develop that car.
“We’ve been working hard and we have got a strong team, so I’ve got every confidence, that not only will we come out of the box with a competitive car from the very beginning of the year, but that we will be a very tough competitor over the course of the year too. No one here is complacent or thinks it’s going to be easy to go out there and win races, but I really do think that we’ll be very competitive from the get go.”
If McLaren out-score Ferrari in Abu Dhabi this weekend they are assured of third place in the 2009 constructors’ championship
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
McLaren aims for strong finish
McLaren is aiming to leave this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as "winner of the second half of the season," according to team principal Martin Whitmarsh.
Since the German Grand Prix in July, driver Lewis Hamilton has scored 40 points - more than any other driver – and climbed from 11th to sixth in the drivers' standings as a result. Only Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen has come close to Hamilton's consistency, the Finn scoring 38 points over the same period.
Likewise, in the constructor's championship, McLaren's 57-point haul since the Nurburgring is greater than world champion team Brawn, and has only been beaten by Red Bull, on 61. Should Hamilton and his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen finish 1-2 on Sunday, the team will have achieved its aim.
Given McLaren's shaky start to the season, Whitmarsh is delighted with the progress made with the MP4-24.
"I'm very proud [of the turnaround]," he said during a conference call with UK media. "It was a poor start for us and Lewis.
"Now though, it’s interesting to see how, during a season when a lot of teams put in a lot of effort to improve, if we look at German GP onwards than Lewis has scored more points than any other driver and we're [as a team] only a few points shy of what Red Bull has done in the constructors’ [championship].
"Hopefully this weekend we can establish ourselves as having won the second half of the season. I firmly believe we can win in Abu Dhabi as well with Lewis and Heikki."
Whitmarsh said that McLaren's 2010 driver lineup was still not yet decided and that no decision on Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate would be taken until after the end of the season.
"The reality is we're going into the last race, which is what we're concentrating on for now," he added.
"We are very fortunate that there appears to be a number of drivers who are interested in McLaren. Following the end of the season, we'll sit down and analyse the situation."
Since the German Grand Prix in July, driver Lewis Hamilton has scored 40 points - more than any other driver – and climbed from 11th to sixth in the drivers' standings as a result. Only Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen has come close to Hamilton's consistency, the Finn scoring 38 points over the same period.
Likewise, in the constructor's championship, McLaren's 57-point haul since the Nurburgring is greater than world champion team Brawn, and has only been beaten by Red Bull, on 61. Should Hamilton and his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen finish 1-2 on Sunday, the team will have achieved its aim.
Given McLaren's shaky start to the season, Whitmarsh is delighted with the progress made with the MP4-24.
"I'm very proud [of the turnaround]," he said during a conference call with UK media. "It was a poor start for us and Lewis.
"Now though, it’s interesting to see how, during a season when a lot of teams put in a lot of effort to improve, if we look at German GP onwards than Lewis has scored more points than any other driver and we're [as a team] only a few points shy of what Red Bull has done in the constructors’ [championship].
"Hopefully this weekend we can establish ourselves as having won the second half of the season. I firmly believe we can win in Abu Dhabi as well with Lewis and Heikki."
Whitmarsh said that McLaren's 2010 driver lineup was still not yet decided and that no decision on Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate would be taken until after the end of the season.
"The reality is we're going into the last race, which is what we're concentrating on for now," he added.
"We are very fortunate that there appears to be a number of drivers who are interested in McLaren. Following the end of the season, we'll sit down and analyse the situation."
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Sunday, 4 October 2009
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
Hamilton relieved to prove himself again
Lewis Hamilton says he is relieved that his recent run of form shows that he is still capable of challenging for world championships.
The reigning world champion only made it through to Q3 twice and finished in the points three times in the first eight races of this season as McLaren struggled to make its 2009 car competitive.
But he has had three pole positions and two victories in the last five races and has been boosted by the upturn in form.
Following the poles at Valencia, Monza and Singapore, and victories in Hungary and Singapore, the Briton is happy to have turned around many peoples' perceptions of his season.
"The great thing I feel is that I could have easily had a year when I was at the back the whole time, and for me I would not have felt great at all," he said.
"I was world champion last year and I was very close to being world champion the previous year, so I know I am good enough to be at the front all the time.
"Then to go straight to the back, people, how they perceive it... I would have felt how good I was would have been misjudged perhaps, so I am glad that I am back at the front now. I am showing that the #1 was earned. It was on my car for a reason. It is a positive feeling to be able to do that."
Hamilton's recent run of good results has lifted him to sixth place in the standings, three points behind Kimi Raikkonen and 14.5 behind Red Bull's Mark Webber.
The reigning world champion only made it through to Q3 twice and finished in the points three times in the first eight races of this season as McLaren struggled to make its 2009 car competitive.
But he has had three pole positions and two victories in the last five races and has been boosted by the upturn in form.
Following the poles at Valencia, Monza and Singapore, and victories in Hungary and Singapore, the Briton is happy to have turned around many peoples' perceptions of his season.
"The great thing I feel is that I could have easily had a year when I was at the back the whole time, and for me I would not have felt great at all," he said.
"I was world champion last year and I was very close to being world champion the previous year, so I know I am good enough to be at the front all the time.
"Then to go straight to the back, people, how they perceive it... I would have felt how good I was would have been misjudged perhaps, so I am glad that I am back at the front now. I am showing that the #1 was earned. It was on my car for a reason. It is a positive feeling to be able to do that."
Hamilton's recent run of good results has lifted him to sixth place in the standings, three points behind Kimi Raikkonen and 14.5 behind Red Bull's Mark Webber.
Saturday, 26 September 2009
2009 Singapore Grand Prix qualifying26th September 2009
Marina Bay circuit, Saturday September 26
LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-24-02
P3 programme
1m47.632s (15 laps, 1st)
Lewis’s mechanics effected a precautionary overnight change of his chassis in order to alleviate a suspected issue with the car’s KERS wiring – he continues the weekend aboard chassis 02. Third practice went well: Lewis immediately fell into the groove and reported that the car felt much better balanced and easier to drive than it had during Friday evening.
He completed three runs, the first two on Prime tyres (five laps/1m48.346s best and one lap/1m48.197s) and the final one on the Option (two laps/1m47.632s).
Qualifying
Q1 1m46.977s (on Prime, 1st)
Q2 1m46.657s (on Option, 4th)
Q3 1m47.891s (on Option, 1st overall)
With his confidence boosted by the positive early evening session, Lewis blitzed the opening session, setting the fastest time, on the slower tyre, with just a single run. For Q2, he maintained his competitiveness, posting a fourth-fastest 1m46.657s and aborting a second run after comfortably making the cut. Into Q3, Lewis set a competitive banker lap of 1m47.891s and was all set for another attempt when the session was red-flagged and cut short following Rubens Barrichello’s crash.
“It’s an absolutely fantastic result,” said Lewis. “We came here with several technical upgrades, and we didn’t know if we’d be up there – particularly after Friday practice, which wasn’t spectacular for me.
“My pole lap was very relaxed: the car has just got better and better as the track has evolved, and I think I would have gone faster on my final lap if the session hadn’t been aborted.
“I didn’t expect to be on pole today, but our pace has been really good. We’ll need to see what fuel loads everyone else is running, but I feel quite confident in what we’re doing and I’m in the best position for the race tomorrow.”
Today’s pole position is Lewis’s third in the last four races and the 16th of his career.
HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
MP4-24-02
P3 programme
1m48.420s (14 laps, 4th)
Without any major issues yesterday, Heikki was able to pick up where he had left off yesterday. He continued to refine the car’s balance, particularly noting the effect of tyre wear and, despite experiencing heavy traffic on his final run of the session, reported himself very happy with his progress.
Like Lewis, he ran the Prime for his first two runs (three laps/1m49.263s and three laps/1m48.420s) before switching to the Option (one lap/1m57.833s).
Qualifying
Q1 1m47.542s (on Prime, 8th)
Q2 1m46.842s (on Option, 10th)
Q3 1m49.778s (on Prime, 10th overall)
The late stoppage at the end of Q3 was particularly unfortunate for Heikki. After comfortably graduating through the first two sessions, he and his engineers chose to conserve a set of unused Option tyres for their final run of the night – but were unable to capitalise on their advantage due to Barrichello’s crash. As a result, Heikki was forced to rely on his earlier laptime – set on Prime tyres – which left him 10th – a result that does not reflect accurately on either his speed or his efforts.
“This is a very disappointing result for me,” Heikki said afterwards. “In the first two sessions, things went smoothly – although my laptimes weren’t as competitive as I was expecting. For Q3, I didn’t get a good enough lap in during my first run as I’d been running the harder tyre, which wasn’t quick enough. I also made a couple of mistakes, but I was focusing my efforts on my second run – which would have been on a set of new Option tyres.
“It’s going to be a tough race tomorrow: starting from 10th will make things very difficult, but there’s nothing I can do about that now, so I’m just going to absolutely go for it tomorrow.”
MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Although today’s qualifying ended slightly anticlimactically, owing to an accident that befell Rubens [Barrichello] and triggered a red flag that prevented the session from running its full allocated hour, Lewis thoroughly deserved his pole position.
“Other drivers were also pushing hard at the end, and undoubtedly it would therefore have been close, but we feel relatively confident that Lewis would have remained unbeaten.
“By contrast, on the harder tyre, Heikki hadn’t managed to cut a really quick lap in Q3 by the time the session was red-flagged – but we believe that, with the benefit of another lap, he would have been able to go significantly faster. As a result, although he’s understandably disappointed that he’ll be starting the race from P10, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t put in a competitive showing tomorrow.
“Overall, then, we’re hoping to score plenty of points – but, since Lewis will be starting from pole, I grant you that that isn’t a particularly bold statement. I make no apology for that: the weather will be hot and humid, and we may even see rain; the walls are close and unforgiving; the circuit is a challenging one. But we think we’re pretty well set.”
NORBERT HAUG
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"Congratulations to Lewis for a fantastic job and his third pole position in the last four grands prix since Valencia at the end of August.
“Also, a big, big thank you to everyone in the team who worked through the night until 10 this morning to build up a different chassis for Lewis as a precaution after a problem related to a cable of our KERS Hybrid.
“Sorry for Heikki, who was strong all weekend until the last session when his first run did not work out in the expected way. After Rubens’ crash there was no time for a second run left, so Heikki has to start from 10th position.
“Strategy-wise we should be in a good position and hopefully we can fight for a win tomorrow.”
LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-24-02
P3 programme
1m47.632s (15 laps, 1st)
Lewis’s mechanics effected a precautionary overnight change of his chassis in order to alleviate a suspected issue with the car’s KERS wiring – he continues the weekend aboard chassis 02. Third practice went well: Lewis immediately fell into the groove and reported that the car felt much better balanced and easier to drive than it had during Friday evening.
He completed three runs, the first two on Prime tyres (five laps/1m48.346s best and one lap/1m48.197s) and the final one on the Option (two laps/1m47.632s).
Qualifying
Q1 1m46.977s (on Prime, 1st)
Q2 1m46.657s (on Option, 4th)
Q3 1m47.891s (on Option, 1st overall)
With his confidence boosted by the positive early evening session, Lewis blitzed the opening session, setting the fastest time, on the slower tyre, with just a single run. For Q2, he maintained his competitiveness, posting a fourth-fastest 1m46.657s and aborting a second run after comfortably making the cut. Into Q3, Lewis set a competitive banker lap of 1m47.891s and was all set for another attempt when the session was red-flagged and cut short following Rubens Barrichello’s crash.
“It’s an absolutely fantastic result,” said Lewis. “We came here with several technical upgrades, and we didn’t know if we’d be up there – particularly after Friday practice, which wasn’t spectacular for me.
“My pole lap was very relaxed: the car has just got better and better as the track has evolved, and I think I would have gone faster on my final lap if the session hadn’t been aborted.
“I didn’t expect to be on pole today, but our pace has been really good. We’ll need to see what fuel loads everyone else is running, but I feel quite confident in what we’re doing and I’m in the best position for the race tomorrow.”
Today’s pole position is Lewis’s third in the last four races and the 16th of his career.
HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
MP4-24-02
P3 programme
1m48.420s (14 laps, 4th)
Without any major issues yesterday, Heikki was able to pick up where he had left off yesterday. He continued to refine the car’s balance, particularly noting the effect of tyre wear and, despite experiencing heavy traffic on his final run of the session, reported himself very happy with his progress.
Like Lewis, he ran the Prime for his first two runs (three laps/1m49.263s and three laps/1m48.420s) before switching to the Option (one lap/1m57.833s).
Qualifying
Q1 1m47.542s (on Prime, 8th)
Q2 1m46.842s (on Option, 10th)
Q3 1m49.778s (on Prime, 10th overall)
The late stoppage at the end of Q3 was particularly unfortunate for Heikki. After comfortably graduating through the first two sessions, he and his engineers chose to conserve a set of unused Option tyres for their final run of the night – but were unable to capitalise on their advantage due to Barrichello’s crash. As a result, Heikki was forced to rely on his earlier laptime – set on Prime tyres – which left him 10th – a result that does not reflect accurately on either his speed or his efforts.
“This is a very disappointing result for me,” Heikki said afterwards. “In the first two sessions, things went smoothly – although my laptimes weren’t as competitive as I was expecting. For Q3, I didn’t get a good enough lap in during my first run as I’d been running the harder tyre, which wasn’t quick enough. I also made a couple of mistakes, but I was focusing my efforts on my second run – which would have been on a set of new Option tyres.
“It’s going to be a tough race tomorrow: starting from 10th will make things very difficult, but there’s nothing I can do about that now, so I’m just going to absolutely go for it tomorrow.”
MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Although today’s qualifying ended slightly anticlimactically, owing to an accident that befell Rubens [Barrichello] and triggered a red flag that prevented the session from running its full allocated hour, Lewis thoroughly deserved his pole position.
“Other drivers were also pushing hard at the end, and undoubtedly it would therefore have been close, but we feel relatively confident that Lewis would have remained unbeaten.
“By contrast, on the harder tyre, Heikki hadn’t managed to cut a really quick lap in Q3 by the time the session was red-flagged – but we believe that, with the benefit of another lap, he would have been able to go significantly faster. As a result, although he’s understandably disappointed that he’ll be starting the race from P10, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t put in a competitive showing tomorrow.
“Overall, then, we’re hoping to score plenty of points – but, since Lewis will be starting from pole, I grant you that that isn’t a particularly bold statement. I make no apology for that: the weather will be hot and humid, and we may even see rain; the walls are close and unforgiving; the circuit is a challenging one. But we think we’re pretty well set.”
NORBERT HAUG
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"Congratulations to Lewis for a fantastic job and his third pole position in the last four grands prix since Valencia at the end of August.
“Also, a big, big thank you to everyone in the team who worked through the night until 10 this morning to build up a different chassis for Lewis as a precaution after a problem related to a cable of our KERS Hybrid.
“Sorry for Heikki, who was strong all weekend until the last session when his first run did not work out in the expected way. After Rubens’ crash there was no time for a second run left, so Heikki has to start from 10th position.
“Strategy-wise we should be in a good position and hopefully we can fight for a win tomorrow.”
Qualifying - Hamilton on pole as Barrichello crash halts Q3
Rubens Barrichello may indirectly have helped Lewis Hamilton to pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday evening. The world champion had lapped his McLaren in 1m 47.891s on his first run in the final qualifying session, when the Brazilian crashed his Brawn in Turn 5 on his second and final run. As the red flag came out, everyone behind Hamilton had reasoned to feel chagrined.
Sebastian Vettel had just set the fastest time in sector one for Red Bull, while Williams' Nico Rosberg had done likewise in sector two. Hamilton was also preparing to go quicker still as were Red Bull's Mark Webber, Renault's Fernando Alonso, Toyota's Timo Glock, BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica and McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen. But since Barrichello crashed 26 seconds before the chequered flag was due to fall, they were all out of luck. The grid would be formed on the basis of their first run times.
Behind Hamilton, Vettel had done 1m 48.204s for the other front row slot, followed by Rosberg on 1m 48.348s. Then came Webber on 1m 48.722s, Barrichello on 1m 48.828s, Alonso on 1m 49.054s, Glock on 1m 49.180s, Heidfeld on 1m 49.307s, Kubica on 1m 49.514s, and Kovalainen on 1m 49.778s.
Since Barrichello had his gearbox changed after the final practice session earlier this evening, however, he drops five grid places to 10th.
€t wasn't a good day for Brawn. Team mate Jenson Button surprisingly failed to make it through Q2, his lap of 1m 47.141s being good enough only for 12th in the line-up behind Kazuki Nakajima's Williams on 1m 47.013s. That was a disappointment for the Japanese driver, whose team mate Rosberg had topped the Q2 times with 1m 46.197s, far and away the fastest lap of the weekend.
Kimi Raikkonen was another with a glum face after 1m 47.177s left his Ferrari only 13th, ahead of Sebastien Buemi's Toro Rosso on 1m 47.369s and Jarno Trulli's Toyota on 1m 47.413s.
The fallers in Q1 were the Force €ndias of Adrian Sutil and Tonio Liuzzi which, at 1m 48.231s and 1m 48.792s book-ended Jaime Alguersuari's Toro Rosso (1m 48.340s), Giancarlo Fisichella's Ferrari (1m 48.350s) and Romain Grosjean's Renault (1m 48.544s. The Franco-Swiss driver caused a flutter by going down the escape road in Turn 7 on his out lap, but proceeded without hitting anything.
Sebastian Vettel had just set the fastest time in sector one for Red Bull, while Williams' Nico Rosberg had done likewise in sector two. Hamilton was also preparing to go quicker still as were Red Bull's Mark Webber, Renault's Fernando Alonso, Toyota's Timo Glock, BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica and McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen. But since Barrichello crashed 26 seconds before the chequered flag was due to fall, they were all out of luck. The grid would be formed on the basis of their first run times.
Behind Hamilton, Vettel had done 1m 48.204s for the other front row slot, followed by Rosberg on 1m 48.348s. Then came Webber on 1m 48.722s, Barrichello on 1m 48.828s, Alonso on 1m 49.054s, Glock on 1m 49.180s, Heidfeld on 1m 49.307s, Kubica on 1m 49.514s, and Kovalainen on 1m 49.778s.
Since Barrichello had his gearbox changed after the final practice session earlier this evening, however, he drops five grid places to 10th.
€t wasn't a good day for Brawn. Team mate Jenson Button surprisingly failed to make it through Q2, his lap of 1m 47.141s being good enough only for 12th in the line-up behind Kazuki Nakajima's Williams on 1m 47.013s. That was a disappointment for the Japanese driver, whose team mate Rosberg had topped the Q2 times with 1m 46.197s, far and away the fastest lap of the weekend.
Kimi Raikkonen was another with a glum face after 1m 47.177s left his Ferrari only 13th, ahead of Sebastien Buemi's Toro Rosso on 1m 47.369s and Jarno Trulli's Toyota on 1m 47.413s.
The fallers in Q1 were the Force €ndias of Adrian Sutil and Tonio Liuzzi which, at 1m 48.231s and 1m 48.792s book-ended Jaime Alguersuari's Toro Rosso (1m 48.340s), Giancarlo Fisichella's Ferrari (1m 48.350s) and Romain Grosjean's Renault (1m 48.544s. The Franco-Swiss driver caused a flutter by going down the escape road in Turn 7 on his out lap, but proceeded without hitting anything.
Monday, 14 September 2009
RACE REPORT - Monza
HEIKKI KOVALAINEN MP4-24-03
Started: 15th
Finished: 6th
Fastest lap: 1m25.109s (6th)
Pitstops: one (Pr-Op)
2009 points: 20 (10th)
From fourth on the grid, Heikki started on heavy tanks and dropped two places to the Brawns, before losing a further position to Vitantonio Liuzzi. On lap four he began to notice a lack of grip from his Prime tyres – particularly on the exit of the slower corners – and was consequently passed for seventh by Fernando Alonso.
Pitting on lap 28 and switching to Options, he pushed to the finish, running seventh until Lewis’s accident on the final lap promoted him to sixth.
Heikki said afterwards: “I’m rather disappointed with today. My race began with a difficult start and that cost me several places on the first lap. Then I couldn't really push hard in the first stint because my Prime tyres didn't have the grip to allow me to attack. Things were better in the second stint on the Options, but, by then, it was too late to regain the time I’d lost in the first stint.”
LEWIS HAMILTON MP4-24-04
Started: 1st
Finished: 12th (DNF, 52 laps, accident)
Fastest lap: 1m24.802s (3rd)
Pitstops: two (Op-Pr-Pr)
2009 points: 27 (7th)
With a two-stop strategy, it was always going to be difficult for Lewis to build enough of a gap to keep the single-stopping cars behind him. Despite “pushing on every lap, like a qualifying lap”, and despite leading for much of the race, Lewis was unable to build a sufficient lead and dropped to third behind Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button as all three drivers made their final stops and raced to the flag.
Chasing down his countryman, Lewis cut the gap to Jenson to just over one second but, on the final lap and pushing harder than ever (he had just set his fastest time of the race in the first sector), he lost the back of the car at the exit of the first Lesmo and slid into the barriers.
“I wasn’t on the optimal strategy so I really had to push to make my two-stopper work,” said Lewis. “I got every tenth out of the car that I could possibly get and I didn’t make any mistakes – until the last lap. It’s unfortunate – but these things happen, it’s a racing incident. I was pushing incredibly hard on that lap to try to get close to Jenson and use KERS to pass him, then I exited the first Lesmo and the back-end got away from me and I went backwards into the wall.
“I can only say ‘sorry’ to the team – they did a great job and, although we weren’t quite as quick as the Brawns today, I pushed harder than ever, so I can feel happy about that.”
MARTIN WHITMARSH Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“A disappointing result – there’s no point my denying that we’d expected to achieve a lot more here at Monza than a sixth place and a DNF.
“Looking at the positives, though, thankfully, Lewis walked away unharmed from what was a pretty big shunt – simply the result of his never-give-up attitude, his unquenchable desire to fight until the very last metre of the very last lap. Throughout the final stint he’d been pushing as hard as he possibly could, driving beautifully, right on the limit, in an effort to catch Jenson [Button] for second place, and he pushed just a fraction too hard – and the result was that he lost it on the exit of the first Lesmo on that final lap. He’d just gone ‘purple’ in the first sector of that final lap, in fact.
“But that’s the nature of a driver like Lewis, and there aren’t many like him: if you give it 100 per cent on every single lap, every so often you’ll give it 101 per cent – and then the result will be an ‘off’. But that’s racing, and Lewis is very definitely a racer, and we wouldn’t want him any other way.
“So, yes, we’re disappointed with our points haul today, of course we are, but we’re also pleased that our race pace was almost on a par with that of the Brawns and as quick or quicker than that of anyone else.
“Now, though, we’re already focusing on Singapore, where we intend to be every bit as competitive as we’ve been here at Monza this weekend.
NORBERT HAUG Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“That’s how it goes sometimes in motor racing. Lewis drove an excellent race and had the speed to finish on the podium. Lewis was in third place, five seconds behind the leader and catching up consistently when he crashed on the last lap – about three kilometres from the finish line.
“Heikki, starting fourth, came home sixth but three points is obviously not the reward Vodafone McLaren Mercedes would have wished for today.
“The positive side: as in Hungary and Valencia, during two of the last three races Lewis had the speed to fight for a victory and we’ll build on this performance during the final four races of the season.
“Well done to Adrian Sutil for scoring his first points of the season with a strong drive to fourth position – both he and his Force India team did an excellent job.”
Pos Driver Constructor Race Time
1 Rubens Barrichello Brawn GP 1h16:21.706
2 Jenson Button Brawn GP + 2.866
3 Kimi Raikkonen Scuderia Ferrari + 30.664
4 Adrian Sutil Force India + 31.131
5 Fernando Alonso Renault + 59.182
6 Heikki Kovalainen Vodafone McLaren Mercedes + 1m00.693
7 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber + 1m22.412
8 Sebastien Vettel Red Bull Racing + 1m25.427
9 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India + 1m26.856
10 Kazuki Nakajima Williams F1 + 2m00.000
11 Timo Glock Toyota + 2:43.925
12 Lewis Hamilton Vodafone McLaren Mercedes + 1 lap
13 Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso + 1 lap
14 Jarno Trulli Toyota + 1 lap
15 Romain Grosjean Renault + 1 lap
16 Nico Rosberg Williams F1 + 2 laps
Fastest Lap: A Sutil 1m24.739
Started: 15th
Finished: 6th
Fastest lap: 1m25.109s (6th)
Pitstops: one (Pr-Op)
2009 points: 20 (10th)
From fourth on the grid, Heikki started on heavy tanks and dropped two places to the Brawns, before losing a further position to Vitantonio Liuzzi. On lap four he began to notice a lack of grip from his Prime tyres – particularly on the exit of the slower corners – and was consequently passed for seventh by Fernando Alonso.
Pitting on lap 28 and switching to Options, he pushed to the finish, running seventh until Lewis’s accident on the final lap promoted him to sixth.
Heikki said afterwards: “I’m rather disappointed with today. My race began with a difficult start and that cost me several places on the first lap. Then I couldn't really push hard in the first stint because my Prime tyres didn't have the grip to allow me to attack. Things were better in the second stint on the Options, but, by then, it was too late to regain the time I’d lost in the first stint.”
LEWIS HAMILTON MP4-24-04
Started: 1st
Finished: 12th (DNF, 52 laps, accident)
Fastest lap: 1m24.802s (3rd)
Pitstops: two (Op-Pr-Pr)
2009 points: 27 (7th)
With a two-stop strategy, it was always going to be difficult for Lewis to build enough of a gap to keep the single-stopping cars behind him. Despite “pushing on every lap, like a qualifying lap”, and despite leading for much of the race, Lewis was unable to build a sufficient lead and dropped to third behind Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button as all three drivers made their final stops and raced to the flag.
Chasing down his countryman, Lewis cut the gap to Jenson to just over one second but, on the final lap and pushing harder than ever (he had just set his fastest time of the race in the first sector), he lost the back of the car at the exit of the first Lesmo and slid into the barriers.
“I wasn’t on the optimal strategy so I really had to push to make my two-stopper work,” said Lewis. “I got every tenth out of the car that I could possibly get and I didn’t make any mistakes – until the last lap. It’s unfortunate – but these things happen, it’s a racing incident. I was pushing incredibly hard on that lap to try to get close to Jenson and use KERS to pass him, then I exited the first Lesmo and the back-end got away from me and I went backwards into the wall.
“I can only say ‘sorry’ to the team – they did a great job and, although we weren’t quite as quick as the Brawns today, I pushed harder than ever, so I can feel happy about that.”
MARTIN WHITMARSH Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“A disappointing result – there’s no point my denying that we’d expected to achieve a lot more here at Monza than a sixth place and a DNF.
“Looking at the positives, though, thankfully, Lewis walked away unharmed from what was a pretty big shunt – simply the result of his never-give-up attitude, his unquenchable desire to fight until the very last metre of the very last lap. Throughout the final stint he’d been pushing as hard as he possibly could, driving beautifully, right on the limit, in an effort to catch Jenson [Button] for second place, and he pushed just a fraction too hard – and the result was that he lost it on the exit of the first Lesmo on that final lap. He’d just gone ‘purple’ in the first sector of that final lap, in fact.
“But that’s the nature of a driver like Lewis, and there aren’t many like him: if you give it 100 per cent on every single lap, every so often you’ll give it 101 per cent – and then the result will be an ‘off’. But that’s racing, and Lewis is very definitely a racer, and we wouldn’t want him any other way.
“So, yes, we’re disappointed with our points haul today, of course we are, but we’re also pleased that our race pace was almost on a par with that of the Brawns and as quick or quicker than that of anyone else.
“Now, though, we’re already focusing on Singapore, where we intend to be every bit as competitive as we’ve been here at Monza this weekend.
NORBERT HAUG Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“That’s how it goes sometimes in motor racing. Lewis drove an excellent race and had the speed to finish on the podium. Lewis was in third place, five seconds behind the leader and catching up consistently when he crashed on the last lap – about three kilometres from the finish line.
“Heikki, starting fourth, came home sixth but three points is obviously not the reward Vodafone McLaren Mercedes would have wished for today.
“The positive side: as in Hungary and Valencia, during two of the last three races Lewis had the speed to fight for a victory and we’ll build on this performance during the final four races of the season.
“Well done to Adrian Sutil for scoring his first points of the season with a strong drive to fourth position – both he and his Force India team did an excellent job.”
Pos Driver Constructor Race Time
1 Rubens Barrichello Brawn GP 1h16:21.706
2 Jenson Button Brawn GP + 2.866
3 Kimi Raikkonen Scuderia Ferrari + 30.664
4 Adrian Sutil Force India + 31.131
5 Fernando Alonso Renault + 59.182
6 Heikki Kovalainen Vodafone McLaren Mercedes + 1m00.693
7 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber + 1m22.412
8 Sebastien Vettel Red Bull Racing + 1m25.427
9 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India + 1m26.856
10 Kazuki Nakajima Williams F1 + 2m00.000
11 Timo Glock Toyota + 2:43.925
12 Lewis Hamilton Vodafone McLaren Mercedes + 1 lap
13 Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso + 1 lap
14 Jarno Trulli Toyota + 1 lap
15 Romain Grosjean Renault + 1 lap
16 Nico Rosberg Williams F1 + 2 laps
Fastest Lap: A Sutil 1m24.739
Friday, 11 September 2009
Interview with Heikki Kovalainen
McLaren.com
Take that or Nightwish?
Definitely Nightwish. (Heikki laughs)
Pasta or Pizza?
Pasta because it is healthy.
Thick crust or thin?
Thin.
Blonde or Brunette?
Which is Catherine? Brunette maybe? Yes Brunette.
Tall or short?
Medium.
Died hair or Natural?
Died hair, I have to say otherwise Catherine (Heikki’s girlfriend) will kill me, oh wait Catherine is natural now! So natural.
Christmas or birthdays?
Birthdays, I don’t find Christmas that fun, birthdays you have all your friends around for parties and at Christmas all your friends are with their families. It is still nice to spend time with your family of course.
Designer or High street?
High street, mix of both them, because I have some pretty cool Hugo Boss clothes to wear.
Corners or straights?
Corners, straights are boring.
Phone or Laptop?
Laptop.
If you could change one part of your body what would it be?
I would change my legs, they are too small, and they are out of proportion. Catherine calls them chicken legs.
If you were a pizza topping what would you be? And why?
I would be a pineapple; it’s a sweet thing in the middle of a rough outside.
What is the worst present you have ever received?
I’m not sure. I don’t get a lot of presents.
If you could be an animal what would it be?
It would be some kind of big strong animal, like a cheetah, jaguar or lion. Fast enough to run away from the bigger animals but strong enough to fight most of the other animals off.
What is your most embarrassing moment?
In GP2 racing, when I crashed into the pit wall, the tires were icy cold and I went straight out of the pit into the wall. I thought yeah yeah I know what to do. Bang straight into the pitwall. The guys were laughing.
What is your best moment?
On track winning the Hungarian grand prix, off track when I met Catherine. Actually she came over to me but I introduced myself. Then she started bombing me with text messages!
You are getting on a bit now, getting closer to 30. Do you feel old?
Yeah I do actually, now that I am 27 I feel so old. Soon it will be 30 then it will be 40! I don’t feel that it is limiting anything I do but I still feel old.
What’s the coolest thing you own?
My house is pretty cool, the one that we just finished building in Geneva. I have never owned a car; I have a company car from Norbert. I want to own a Mercedes SL65 limited black.
What is the one thing you could not live without?
My friends, family, and my girlfriend. If it was a materialistic thing, I couldn’t live without my laptop and my Blackberry storm.
What is your favourite joke?
(Unfortunately, Heikki’s joke is not quite clean enough for the website. We asked if he had any others and the answer was no the other one is much worse.)
Do you consider yourself a funny person?
No not really, I don’t consider myself funny, I consider myself relaxed and open.
What is your middle name? Do you like it?
Johannes. I don’t mind it’s different, it’s quite neutral. In Finland it’s not too popular yet it is not too rare. My dad is a Johannes too.
If you could be a superhero who would you be?
I would be superman, because he can fly and be quick.
If you had one super power what would it be?
Just to fly, just like that and I would be in Finland.
When you race your remote control cars with you and lewis, who wins?
We have only raced once, and Lewis did win. But I must point out that it was a team competition. Lewis and Nic, and me and my friend. My partner was the only driver who went in to opposite direction around the track. In lap times it is quite even between Lewis and I, we would have to see.
When you fly remote control planes, who is better?
I am much better, I haven’t shunted my plane is a long time, knock on wood. I can land, take off and I do little tricks. Normally I take off for Lewis actually, then he takes control, then he loses it and crashes the plane. He has gone through three planes now and on his fourth which he doesn’t fly as much now. His latest crash was when his battery died during the flight and it just kept on doing circles until it crashed. I have been doing it for about 3 years now and Lewis has done it much less.
I heard you play a lot of golf with Petri your trainer, who normally wins?
I win, Petri is rubbish. My golf is not good, his was better at the beginning. He has played for 5 years and I have only played for 5 months. Sometimes he beats me on the fairway but overall I beat him every time. I got a hole in one but it was lucky, it was the fourteenth hole in Geneva. It was a par 3 and a 145m shot. It was quite a big green and there was a banana shaped bunker before the green. I hit a 6 iron trying to hit longer than the hole and get two putts back to it. The hit wasn’t very long and it bounced twice on the green and click in the hole! I think it was all luck. It was only about 2 months after I started playing.
Do you have your own twitter page?
No I don’t, however I do tweet on the team’s TheFifthDriver page.
What is your ideal night?
To invite some friends around, have a nice dinner and play video games. I used to cook for the first 4 years of mine and Catherine’s relationship; I figure it’s her stint now that we are on the 7th year. The best thing I can cook is Chinese chicken, I do it from scratch. I did it for ITV and they are still alive! Then maybe play some video games while the girls can do what the girls want to do. Catherine isn’t very keen on the computer games. Then maybe a movie, that would be perfect.
What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you at a Grand Prix Weekend?
It was funny when Kimi got his hands died blue but my mechanics haven’t done anything to me yet. It was funny when I was at a test in Spain. There is a picture as I am coming out of the garage in my F1 car and Catherine is just reading a book with her legs crossed. I drive straight past her. At the time I didn’t realise afterwards what she was doing, she didn’t realise I just drove past her at 300k.
Take that or Nightwish?
Definitely Nightwish. (Heikki laughs)
Pasta or Pizza?
Pasta because it is healthy.
Thick crust or thin?
Thin.
Blonde or Brunette?
Which is Catherine? Brunette maybe? Yes Brunette.
Tall or short?
Medium.
Died hair or Natural?
Died hair, I have to say otherwise Catherine (Heikki’s girlfriend) will kill me, oh wait Catherine is natural now! So natural.
Christmas or birthdays?
Birthdays, I don’t find Christmas that fun, birthdays you have all your friends around for parties and at Christmas all your friends are with their families. It is still nice to spend time with your family of course.
Designer or High street?
High street, mix of both them, because I have some pretty cool Hugo Boss clothes to wear.
Corners or straights?
Corners, straights are boring.
Phone or Laptop?
Laptop.
If you could change one part of your body what would it be?
I would change my legs, they are too small, and they are out of proportion. Catherine calls them chicken legs.
If you were a pizza topping what would you be? And why?
I would be a pineapple; it’s a sweet thing in the middle of a rough outside.
What is the worst present you have ever received?
I’m not sure. I don’t get a lot of presents.
If you could be an animal what would it be?
It would be some kind of big strong animal, like a cheetah, jaguar or lion. Fast enough to run away from the bigger animals but strong enough to fight most of the other animals off.
What is your most embarrassing moment?
In GP2 racing, when I crashed into the pit wall, the tires were icy cold and I went straight out of the pit into the wall. I thought yeah yeah I know what to do. Bang straight into the pitwall. The guys were laughing.
What is your best moment?
On track winning the Hungarian grand prix, off track when I met Catherine. Actually she came over to me but I introduced myself. Then she started bombing me with text messages!
You are getting on a bit now, getting closer to 30. Do you feel old?
Yeah I do actually, now that I am 27 I feel so old. Soon it will be 30 then it will be 40! I don’t feel that it is limiting anything I do but I still feel old.
What’s the coolest thing you own?
My house is pretty cool, the one that we just finished building in Geneva. I have never owned a car; I have a company car from Norbert. I want to own a Mercedes SL65 limited black.
What is the one thing you could not live without?
My friends, family, and my girlfriend. If it was a materialistic thing, I couldn’t live without my laptop and my Blackberry storm.
What is your favourite joke?
(Unfortunately, Heikki’s joke is not quite clean enough for the website. We asked if he had any others and the answer was no the other one is much worse.)
Do you consider yourself a funny person?
No not really, I don’t consider myself funny, I consider myself relaxed and open.
What is your middle name? Do you like it?
Johannes. I don’t mind it’s different, it’s quite neutral. In Finland it’s not too popular yet it is not too rare. My dad is a Johannes too.
If you could be a superhero who would you be?
I would be superman, because he can fly and be quick.
If you had one super power what would it be?
Just to fly, just like that and I would be in Finland.
When you race your remote control cars with you and lewis, who wins?
We have only raced once, and Lewis did win. But I must point out that it was a team competition. Lewis and Nic, and me and my friend. My partner was the only driver who went in to opposite direction around the track. In lap times it is quite even between Lewis and I, we would have to see.
When you fly remote control planes, who is better?
I am much better, I haven’t shunted my plane is a long time, knock on wood. I can land, take off and I do little tricks. Normally I take off for Lewis actually, then he takes control, then he loses it and crashes the plane. He has gone through three planes now and on his fourth which he doesn’t fly as much now. His latest crash was when his battery died during the flight and it just kept on doing circles until it crashed. I have been doing it for about 3 years now and Lewis has done it much less.
I heard you play a lot of golf with Petri your trainer, who normally wins?
I win, Petri is rubbish. My golf is not good, his was better at the beginning. He has played for 5 years and I have only played for 5 months. Sometimes he beats me on the fairway but overall I beat him every time. I got a hole in one but it was lucky, it was the fourteenth hole in Geneva. It was a par 3 and a 145m shot. It was quite a big green and there was a banana shaped bunker before the green. I hit a 6 iron trying to hit longer than the hole and get two putts back to it. The hit wasn’t very long and it bounced twice on the green and click in the hole! I think it was all luck. It was only about 2 months after I started playing.
Do you have your own twitter page?
No I don’t, however I do tweet on the team’s TheFifthDriver page.
What is your ideal night?
To invite some friends around, have a nice dinner and play video games. I used to cook for the first 4 years of mine and Catherine’s relationship; I figure it’s her stint now that we are on the 7th year. The best thing I can cook is Chinese chicken, I do it from scratch. I did it for ITV and they are still alive! Then maybe play some video games while the girls can do what the girls want to do. Catherine isn’t very keen on the computer games. Then maybe a movie, that would be perfect.
What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you at a Grand Prix Weekend?
It was funny when Kimi got his hands died blue but my mechanics haven’t done anything to me yet. It was funny when I was at a test in Spain. There is a picture as I am coming out of the garage in my F1 car and Catherine is just reading a book with her legs crossed. I drive straight past her. At the time I didn’t realise afterwards what she was doing, she didn’t realise I just drove past her at 300k.
Monday, 7 September 2009
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
2009 Belgian Grand Prix
HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
MP4-24-03
Started: 15th
Finished: 6th
Fastest lap: 1m48.348s (13th)
Pitstops: one (Op- Pr)
2009 points: 17 (10th)
A textbook one-stopper for Heikki, who started from 15th position and drove faultlessly to finish sixth. He began the race on the Option tyre, made a strong start to slot into 10th. As the earlier-stopping cars pitted ahead of him, Heikki moved as high as fourth before making his sole stop of the race on lap 26.
After a switch to Primes, he rejoined 10th and enjoyed a close battle with Rubens Barrichello as he once again climbed up the order to finish sixth.
“A good race for me,” said Heikki afterwards. “Even though our overall pace here hasn’t been as good as in the two previous races, our strategy worked out perfectly and I was able to overtake a lot of the guys stopping before me.
“I want to say a big thank you to all the guys in Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart for all their efforts. Today’s sixth place was the result of a strong, reliable car, a great strategy, a fantastic engine and a first-rate KERS – all of which helped me to make up nine places on my grid position today.
“We still have some work to do to be fully competitive on medium-downforce tracks, but Monza should be a different story as it’s a very low-downforce circuit and we are traditionally quite good there.
“Finally, I’m really happy for Kimi: he drove a great race and I knew he would be a tough guy to beat around this place.”
LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-24-05
Started: 12th
Finished: Ret (0 laps, accident)
Fastest lap: -
Pitstops: -
2009 points: 27 (7th)
Starting from 12th, Lewis’s car bogged down at the start and the anti-stall kicked in, delaying his momentum down to the first corner. Into La Source, he was pincered by two cars, snapping off part of his wing following contact with another car. Into the braking zone for Les Combes, Lewis slowed to avoid an entanglement ahead of him and was heavily broadsided by Jaime Alguersari, pitching him into the gravel and immediately out of the race.
“Some days, when things go bad they go bad – and this was just one of those days,” admitted Lewis. “I got a poor start, the anti-stall kicked in and I tried to recover, but got sandwiched at the first corner and lost a bit of my front wing. When Romain Grosjean spun Jenson around at Turn Five, everyone was trying to avoid them, so I slowed down to try and avoid the damage and got taken out by one of the drivers behind me, who was trying to avoid the accident too. A disappointing day, but we’ll come back and try to win this race next year.”
MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Heikki drove very strongly from 15th on the grid to sixth at the finish, optimising a one-stop strategy that necessitated comparatively heavy fuel loads, and nursing his tyres judiciously all afternoon. Lewis was tapped by another car at La Source, and was then slammed into the wall at Les Combes by yet another. But that’s racing.
“On behalf of all at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, I’d like to offer congratulations to Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari on the occasion of their first win of the season, and also to Giancarlo Fisichella and Force India on a sensational second place – a refreshing result that is very healthy for Formula 1 in that it demonstrates that the smaller teams are capable of turning the tables on the bigger teams from time to time.
“Returning to the subject of our team, we’d hoped to be leaving Spa with more than three world championship points – but the reality is that, although our car has been much improved recently, it still isn’t as fast as the quickest cars. But we’ll analyse that, and we’ll work on it, and we’ll hope to do better at Monza in two weeks’ time.”
NORBERT HAUG
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“Both Lewis and Heikki lost places at the start, Lewis was hit in the first corner and then taken out in the third one in Les Combes. So Heikki’s sixth place is the best we could get today and this is not too bad as Heikki started from 15th.
“Congratulations to Kimi – it must be a big relief for him having achieved his first win for 25 races and compliments to Ferrari for their first victory this season. Well done to Giancarlo for second place and to McLaren-Mercedes’ customer team Force India, who showed today, from the start to the finish, that they were a real match for the winner.”
Enter article content here...
MP4-24-03
Started: 15th
Finished: 6th
Fastest lap: 1m48.348s (13th)
Pitstops: one (Op- Pr)
2009 points: 17 (10th)
A textbook one-stopper for Heikki, who started from 15th position and drove faultlessly to finish sixth. He began the race on the Option tyre, made a strong start to slot into 10th. As the earlier-stopping cars pitted ahead of him, Heikki moved as high as fourth before making his sole stop of the race on lap 26.
After a switch to Primes, he rejoined 10th and enjoyed a close battle with Rubens Barrichello as he once again climbed up the order to finish sixth.
“A good race for me,” said Heikki afterwards. “Even though our overall pace here hasn’t been as good as in the two previous races, our strategy worked out perfectly and I was able to overtake a lot of the guys stopping before me.
“I want to say a big thank you to all the guys in Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart for all their efforts. Today’s sixth place was the result of a strong, reliable car, a great strategy, a fantastic engine and a first-rate KERS – all of which helped me to make up nine places on my grid position today.
“We still have some work to do to be fully competitive on medium-downforce tracks, but Monza should be a different story as it’s a very low-downforce circuit and we are traditionally quite good there.
“Finally, I’m really happy for Kimi: he drove a great race and I knew he would be a tough guy to beat around this place.”
LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-24-05
Started: 12th
Finished: Ret (0 laps, accident)
Fastest lap: -
Pitstops: -
2009 points: 27 (7th)
Starting from 12th, Lewis’s car bogged down at the start and the anti-stall kicked in, delaying his momentum down to the first corner. Into La Source, he was pincered by two cars, snapping off part of his wing following contact with another car. Into the braking zone for Les Combes, Lewis slowed to avoid an entanglement ahead of him and was heavily broadsided by Jaime Alguersari, pitching him into the gravel and immediately out of the race.
“Some days, when things go bad they go bad – and this was just one of those days,” admitted Lewis. “I got a poor start, the anti-stall kicked in and I tried to recover, but got sandwiched at the first corner and lost a bit of my front wing. When Romain Grosjean spun Jenson around at Turn Five, everyone was trying to avoid them, so I slowed down to try and avoid the damage and got taken out by one of the drivers behind me, who was trying to avoid the accident too. A disappointing day, but we’ll come back and try to win this race next year.”
MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Heikki drove very strongly from 15th on the grid to sixth at the finish, optimising a one-stop strategy that necessitated comparatively heavy fuel loads, and nursing his tyres judiciously all afternoon. Lewis was tapped by another car at La Source, and was then slammed into the wall at Les Combes by yet another. But that’s racing.
“On behalf of all at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, I’d like to offer congratulations to Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari on the occasion of their first win of the season, and also to Giancarlo Fisichella and Force India on a sensational second place – a refreshing result that is very healthy for Formula 1 in that it demonstrates that the smaller teams are capable of turning the tables on the bigger teams from time to time.
“Returning to the subject of our team, we’d hoped to be leaving Spa with more than three world championship points – but the reality is that, although our car has been much improved recently, it still isn’t as fast as the quickest cars. But we’ll analyse that, and we’ll work on it, and we’ll hope to do better at Monza in two weeks’ time.”
NORBERT HAUG
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“Both Lewis and Heikki lost places at the start, Lewis was hit in the first corner and then taken out in the third one in Les Combes. So Heikki’s sixth place is the best we could get today and this is not too bad as Heikki started from 15th.
“Congratulations to Kimi – it must be a big relief for him having achieved his first win for 25 races and compliments to Ferrari for their first victory this season. Well done to Giancarlo for second place and to McLaren-Mercedes’ customer team Force India, who showed today, from the start to the finish, that they were a real match for the winner.”
Enter article content here...
Friday, 28 August 2009
Practice 2: Lewis gives McLaren boost
Lewis Hamilton showed McLaren could remain a factor at the front of the field in the Belgian Grand Prix after all by topping a fully dry afternoon practice session at Spa.
Having played down its chances of repeating its front-running form from the last two races at this more downforce-dependent circuit, McLaren ended Friday narrowly ahead on pace after Hamilton uncorked an aggressive late lap of 1m47.201s.
The world champion’s time was an inconsequential 0.016s faster than Timo Glock’s best effort, as Toyota showed Jarno Trulli’s quickest time in the rain-hit morning session wasn’t totally unrepresentative of the TF109's potential by claiming strong second and seventh places.
Spa master Kimi Raikkonen completed a ridiculously close head of the field by moving up to third late on, just 0.084s adrift of Hamilton.
However, the Finn ended the session parked on the side of the track after his Ferrari F60 ground to a halt in the closing seconds.
Championship hopeful Mark Webber had led the session for much of the hour but had to settle for fourth – albeit just 0.128s off the pace for Red Bull.
Renault rookie Romain Grosjean continued his impressive Formula 1 start by netting fifth, with Force India’s Giancarlo Fisichella vaulting up the order late on to finish the day in sixth.
Just days after reigniting its season with victory in Valencia, championship leader Brawn showed little speed in the session and finished in potentially concerning 17th and 18th positions on the times.
With the entire afternoon session playing out in dry conditions, the top 18 on the times were amazingly separated by just 0.929s - an incredibly tight margin given the undulating circuit stretches to 4.35 miles in length.
A full report will follow…
Belgian Grand Prix free practice session two
1. HAMILTON McLaren 1m47.201s
2. GLOCK Toyota 1m47.217s
3. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m47.285s
4. WEBBER Red Bull 1m47.329s
5. GROSJEAN Renault 1m47.333s
6. FISICHELLA Force India 1m47.506s
7. TRULLI Toyota 1m47.559s
8. KUBICA BMW 1m47.578s
9. ALGUERSUARI Toro Rosso 1m47.579s
10. VETTEL Red Bull 1m47.602s
11. BUEMI Toro Rosso 1m47.702s
12. KOVALAINEN McLaren 1m47.743s
13. SUTIL Force India 1m47.790s
14. ALONSO Renault 1m47.862s
15. NAKAJIMA Williams 1m47.961s
16. HEIDFELD BMW 1m48.017s
17. BUTTON Brawn 1m48.125s
18. BARRICHELLO Brawn 1m48.130s
19. ROSBERG Williams 1m48.360s
20. BADOER Ferrari 1m49.211s
Having played down its chances of repeating its front-running form from the last two races at this more downforce-dependent circuit, McLaren ended Friday narrowly ahead on pace after Hamilton uncorked an aggressive late lap of 1m47.201s.
The world champion’s time was an inconsequential 0.016s faster than Timo Glock’s best effort, as Toyota showed Jarno Trulli’s quickest time in the rain-hit morning session wasn’t totally unrepresentative of the TF109's potential by claiming strong second and seventh places.
Spa master Kimi Raikkonen completed a ridiculously close head of the field by moving up to third late on, just 0.084s adrift of Hamilton.
However, the Finn ended the session parked on the side of the track after his Ferrari F60 ground to a halt in the closing seconds.
Championship hopeful Mark Webber had led the session for much of the hour but had to settle for fourth – albeit just 0.128s off the pace for Red Bull.
Renault rookie Romain Grosjean continued his impressive Formula 1 start by netting fifth, with Force India’s Giancarlo Fisichella vaulting up the order late on to finish the day in sixth.
Just days after reigniting its season with victory in Valencia, championship leader Brawn showed little speed in the session and finished in potentially concerning 17th and 18th positions on the times.
With the entire afternoon session playing out in dry conditions, the top 18 on the times were amazingly separated by just 0.929s - an incredibly tight margin given the undulating circuit stretches to 4.35 miles in length.
A full report will follow…
Belgian Grand Prix free practice session two
1. HAMILTON McLaren 1m47.201s
2. GLOCK Toyota 1m47.217s
3. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m47.285s
4. WEBBER Red Bull 1m47.329s
5. GROSJEAN Renault 1m47.333s
6. FISICHELLA Force India 1m47.506s
7. TRULLI Toyota 1m47.559s
8. KUBICA BMW 1m47.578s
9. ALGUERSUARI Toro Rosso 1m47.579s
10. VETTEL Red Bull 1m47.602s
11. BUEMI Toro Rosso 1m47.702s
12. KOVALAINEN McLaren 1m47.743s
13. SUTIL Force India 1m47.790s
14. ALONSO Renault 1m47.862s
15. NAKAJIMA Williams 1m47.961s
16. HEIDFELD BMW 1m48.017s
17. BUTTON Brawn 1m48.125s
18. BARRICHELLO Brawn 1m48.130s
19. ROSBERG Williams 1m48.360s
20. BADOER Ferrari 1m49.211s
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Belgian Grand Prix Preview
Lewis Hamilton
“Like Monaco, Silverstone and Monza, it’s one of the historic circuits that I grew up watching on television when I was younger – which makes it just that bit more special for me, because it’s so easy to imagine the heroes of the past racing here. It’s also a magnificent circuit, a place where you can really push the limits of a Formula 1 car: driving through Eau Rouge, Pouhon or Blanchimont is an incredible sensation – your whole body is on the limit and you are still pushing to go faster still. I love Spa – I don’t think it should ever leave the Formula 1 calendar.”
Heikki Kovalainen
“I think everyone in Formula 1 looks forward to Spa. For the drivers, the circuit is a fantastic challenge: unlike some of the places we visit, Spa has real character, and it’s a place where the confidence and commitment of the driver can make a difference. The big corners mean you need to be brave and take risks – and also mean you’ll have a big accident if you get it wrong. I love this place, I think it’s the best circuit on the calendar.”
Martin Whitmarsh
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Despite making some major improvements to MP4-24, we go to Spa knowing that the circuit’s high-speed configuration is unlikely to play to our strengths of our car. Having said that, our new technical package makes us confident that we’ll be a strong contender for points as we look to improve on our fourth position in the constructors’ championship. We’ve enjoyed a tremendous record here, winning 10 times, and both Lewis and Heikki love this place so I’m looking forward to another exciting race.”
Norbert Haug,
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“Spa has every element to make a circuit interesting, from long and demanding corners like Pouhon and Stavelot to the tight hairpin La Source which can be taken at a speed of only 70km/h. We have won four of the previous eight grands prix at this demanding circuit, the one with the second highest average speed after Monza of all grand prix circuits. The last two grands prix at Budapest and Valencia have completely different characteristics and according to experience at Spa there will hardly be tropical temperatures like at the previous two races. In these two races, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes scored 27 of 36 possible points - no other team was more successful. After 46 races, Lewis continues to be the driver in the field who during this period, since the beginning of the 2007 season, scored the most points and wins and he started almost half of his Formula 1 races from the front row. Only twice he did not finish. Heikki showed a good upward trend with second on the grid and fourth in the race lately. Spa will be a big challenge for everybody in the team and I don’t see us in a position to perform there as well as in the previous two races. Nevertheless, we approach the second grand prix which will be held within eight days after the summer break with great impetus and very positively - at least, our hit rate there was not so bad in the previous eight grands prix.”
McLaren at the Belgian Grand Prix…
10 years ago (August 29 1999)
Victory went to David Coulthard, pole and fastest lap to Mika Hakkinen. The pair touched at the first corner, enabling the Scot to establish a decisive lead over the Finn that he maintained to the end. Mika finished second – 10 seconds behind.
20 years ago (August 27 1989)
McLaren dominates the race – Ayrton Senna dominates the race driving an MP4/5, leading every lap from pole position. Team-mate Alain Prost ably backs him up, setting fastest lap on his way to runner-up spot.
30 years ago (May 13 1979)
John Watson salvages a point for the team, starting 19th but climbing to a points finish in sixth at the wheel of an M28B at Zolder. Watson’s team-mate Patrick Tambay underlines the team’s poor form by failing to qualify his M26.
“Like Monaco, Silverstone and Monza, it’s one of the historic circuits that I grew up watching on television when I was younger – which makes it just that bit more special for me, because it’s so easy to imagine the heroes of the past racing here. It’s also a magnificent circuit, a place where you can really push the limits of a Formula 1 car: driving through Eau Rouge, Pouhon or Blanchimont is an incredible sensation – your whole body is on the limit and you are still pushing to go faster still. I love Spa – I don’t think it should ever leave the Formula 1 calendar.”
Heikki Kovalainen
“I think everyone in Formula 1 looks forward to Spa. For the drivers, the circuit is a fantastic challenge: unlike some of the places we visit, Spa has real character, and it’s a place where the confidence and commitment of the driver can make a difference. The big corners mean you need to be brave and take risks – and also mean you’ll have a big accident if you get it wrong. I love this place, I think it’s the best circuit on the calendar.”
Martin Whitmarsh
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Despite making some major improvements to MP4-24, we go to Spa knowing that the circuit’s high-speed configuration is unlikely to play to our strengths of our car. Having said that, our new technical package makes us confident that we’ll be a strong contender for points as we look to improve on our fourth position in the constructors’ championship. We’ve enjoyed a tremendous record here, winning 10 times, and both Lewis and Heikki love this place so I’m looking forward to another exciting race.”
Norbert Haug,
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“Spa has every element to make a circuit interesting, from long and demanding corners like Pouhon and Stavelot to the tight hairpin La Source which can be taken at a speed of only 70km/h. We have won four of the previous eight grands prix at this demanding circuit, the one with the second highest average speed after Monza of all grand prix circuits. The last two grands prix at Budapest and Valencia have completely different characteristics and according to experience at Spa there will hardly be tropical temperatures like at the previous two races. In these two races, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes scored 27 of 36 possible points - no other team was more successful. After 46 races, Lewis continues to be the driver in the field who during this period, since the beginning of the 2007 season, scored the most points and wins and he started almost half of his Formula 1 races from the front row. Only twice he did not finish. Heikki showed a good upward trend with second on the grid and fourth in the race lately. Spa will be a big challenge for everybody in the team and I don’t see us in a position to perform there as well as in the previous two races. Nevertheless, we approach the second grand prix which will be held within eight days after the summer break with great impetus and very positively - at least, our hit rate there was not so bad in the previous eight grands prix.”
McLaren at the Belgian Grand Prix…
10 years ago (August 29 1999)
Victory went to David Coulthard, pole and fastest lap to Mika Hakkinen. The pair touched at the first corner, enabling the Scot to establish a decisive lead over the Finn that he maintained to the end. Mika finished second – 10 seconds behind.
20 years ago (August 27 1989)
McLaren dominates the race – Ayrton Senna dominates the race driving an MP4/5, leading every lap from pole position. Team-mate Alain Prost ably backs him up, setting fastest lap on his way to runner-up spot.
30 years ago (May 13 1979)
John Watson salvages a point for the team, starting 19th but climbing to a points finish in sixth at the wheel of an M28B at Zolder. Watson’s team-mate Patrick Tambay underlines the team’s poor form by failing to qualify his M26.
Sunday, 23 August 2009
Hamilton does not blame team
Lewis Hamilton refused to blame his McLaren team after a pit-stop blunder affected his race and may have cost him victory in Valencia, leaving him to finish second behind Brawn GP’s Rubens Barrichello.
Hamilton had led the majority of the race from pole position, but was coming under attack from the slightly heavier-fuelled Barrichello in the middle stint before his hopes of staying ahead of him were wrecked by a tyre mix-up at his final stop.
But rather than point the finger at his team for the mistake, the reigning world champion instead chose to focus on the fact that his second place acted as further proof that the team has turned around poor early-season form.
"We win and we lose together,” he said.
“We had a tremendous effort to get us here so we cannot at all take second place for granted or be disappointed we didn't get the win because we've had extraordinary pace and it was a tremendous effort from everyone.”
Asked specifically about the blunder at his second pit stop when the tyres weren’t ready for his arrival and time was lost as their blankets were removed, he said: "These things happen and I've had so many races for this team and this hardly ever happens and it's only the second time, I think.”
Talking of the pace of Brawn GP, Hamilton said: “We need to catch these guys up because I believe they are a little but quicker than us, but we're pushing all the time."
Hamilton’s second place moved him up to sixth place in the drivers’ standings.
Hamilton had led the majority of the race from pole position, but was coming under attack from the slightly heavier-fuelled Barrichello in the middle stint before his hopes of staying ahead of him were wrecked by a tyre mix-up at his final stop.
But rather than point the finger at his team for the mistake, the reigning world champion instead chose to focus on the fact that his second place acted as further proof that the team has turned around poor early-season form.
"We win and we lose together,” he said.
“We had a tremendous effort to get us here so we cannot at all take second place for granted or be disappointed we didn't get the win because we've had extraordinary pace and it was a tremendous effort from everyone.”
Asked specifically about the blunder at his second pit stop when the tyres weren’t ready for his arrival and time was lost as their blankets were removed, he said: "These things happen and I've had so many races for this team and this hardly ever happens and it's only the second time, I think.”
Talking of the pace of Brawn GP, Hamilton said: “We need to catch these guys up because I believe they are a little but quicker than us, but we're pushing all the time."
Hamilton’s second place moved him up to sixth place in the drivers’ standings.
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