F1 Monte Carlo - SAT- Qualifying

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Monte Carlo, May 24, 2008

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen will start Sunday�s Monaco Grand Prix from the second row on the grid. In Saturday�s exciting qualifying, Lewis was third fastest with a time of 1m15.839, 52 thousandths of a second behind the pole position time, whilst Heikki qualified fourth fastest with a 1m16.165.

Lewis Hamilton
"Obviously I would have preferred to be on pole, but I am pleased with how the car felt and our strategy. The team did a solid job, and I didn't have any problems with traffic. My two flying laps in the final part of qualifying were good, but I lost a bit of time in the second sector, because I lacked a bit of traction accelerating out of turn eight, and in the third sector, at the last corners, I did not brake as late as I should. But we have a good strategy, and I am quite confident for the race - tomorrow anything can happen particularly with the weather forecast promising rain."

Heikki Kovalainen
�I am little disappointed as I put maximum effort in my last qualifying run. The car felt good, so I don�t know where the small gap to the cars in front comes from. I did not put a foot wrong in all three sessions. I want to thank my team who had repaired the damage from this morning�s incident well, so I could make best use of my car without any problems. The race is a different affair, and I expect us to be in good shape.�

Ron Dennis
"An exciting qualifying with the lap times of the top drivers very close together. Of course, we would have preferred to be on pole; however, in the race we should be looking good with our strategy, consistency and pace. Especially in Monaco you can destroy your race with a smaller fuel load and it is easy to make a wrong decision in that respect. With a good start, and if we can stay out longer, even from the second row it is possible to win here. We have a good strategy and I expect a very hard fought race in hopefully good weather conditions."

Norbert Haug
"Lewis is third, half a tenth of a second away from pole. However, with Heikki lining up alongside him on the second row, both drivers still should be in a position to fight for victory tomorrow."


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