Posts Tagged ‘ McLaren ’

Lewis Hamilton Q&A: We can turn our fortunes around

• Posted in F1 News

Nine points from five races is a far from the ideal scenario for a reigning world champion aiming for a second consecutive title. But that’s the situation McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton has been forced to accept so far this season.

With his MP4-24 struggling against the might of the Brawns and Red Bulls, Hamilton has failed to qualify higher than fifth and is yet to grace the podium.

For the British driver, however, there are positives, not least the team’s watertight reliability. And speaking to his official website, he’s hopeful that the unidentified issue which he believes is damaging the car’s pace will be rectified soon…

Q: A tough race and no points in Barcelona – were you satisfied with your drive?

Lewis Hamilton: We’re unfortunate that our car is not quick enough at the moment, but that hasn’t stopped me from pushing hard in all the races. Even though I didn’t finish in the points in Spain, I pushed like crazy throughout the whole race, didn’t make any mistakes and got the maximum from the car.

As a racing driver, you have to be satisfied with that, and I was pleased with my performance. To finish ninth at a circuit we knew wouldn’t suit us wasn’t the end of the world. Most importantly, it’s a big improvement for the guys in the team.

I just want to say that the whole team has done a fantastic job – they really have, since I’ve been in this team I’ve maybe had one or two reliability issues with the car in 40 races. And touch wood that will stay the same.

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Dennis plays down McLaren concern

• Posted in F1 News

World champion Lewis Hamilton and team-mate Heikki Kovalainen lagged behind their rivals in testing ahead of the Australian Grand Prix on 29 March.

But Dennis told BBC Sport: “Whatever performance level McLaren have today we will be a competitive racing team.

“That means we will be fighting for the world championship.”

While Ferrari have been consistently fast during pre-season testing, McLaren appear to be some way off the pace of their main rivals.

During this week’s test in Barcelona, McLaren‘s Kovalainen was more than two and a half seconds down on Nick Heidfeld’s fastest time for BMW Sauber on Monday.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen topped Tuesday’s timesheets, while another low-key showing for McLaren resulted in Kovalainen being 1.677 seconds adrift.

McLaren MP4-24

• Posted in F1 News

Lewis Hamilton will set on his quest of defending the world title, on board of the new McLaren MP4-24.

It can not be said that the unveiling of the car was even remotely as exciting as the days following McLaren MP4-24‘s famous win in Brazil, and it is pretty much back to work for everyone at McLaren MP4-24 aren.

Recent news about Ron Dennis leaving McLaren, were the topic of the day of course. His role will be taken over by current chief executive Martin Whitmarsh from the beginning of March.

Lewis Hamilton admitted that the new regulations will make next season tougher, but is looking forward getting his first win out of the way, which in turn will take the pressure off a bit.

Will Lewis Hamilton retain his title?

• Posted in F1 News

Formula 1 will be different this year. Tons of changes have transformed the grid and everyone is expecting 2009 to be a very entertaining season.

Will Lewis Hamilton manage to keep his cool and retain the title?

There will be a lot of pressure for sure. Not that there wasn’t enough pressure last season, but this time around it will be quite different. After all he is the Champ!

McLaren sound confident enough, but in recent interviews Lewis have suggested he may struggle to keep the crown due to cutbacks.