F1 Shanghai - SAT - Qualifying - Jenson and Lewis share row three in China

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Shanghai, China, Apr 17, 2010

Locking out row three: but looking good for Sunday

JENSON BUTTON
- MP4-25A-03
P3 programme:
- 4th, 1m35.747s (+0.424s), 14 laps
Qualifying:
- Q1: 6th, 1m36.600s (on Primes)
- Q2: 7th, 1m35.443s (on Options)
- Q3: 5th, 1m34.979s (on Options)

�I was struggling a little with the car in the first two sessions. By Q3, though, it was much better, but it was a little bit too late by then: the car felt quite different, balance-wise, and I had to play around with the diff and the front wing to find a good feeling in the car.


�So it wasn�t a bad lap; it�s just a bit frustrating that it took us that long in qualifying to get the balance right. But fifth is just about okay, and I think we�ll have a good car for the race tomorrow.

�It�s probably going to rain tomorrow anyway, so the set-up we have may well be pretty good in the wet conditions.�

LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-25A-01
P3 programme:
- 2nd, 1m35.564s (+0.241s), 12 laps
Qualifying:
- Q1: 1st, 1m35.641s (on Primes)
- Q2: 1st, 1m34.928s (on Options)
- Q3: 6th, 1m35.034s (on Options)

�I�m a little disappointed � we wanted to get pole today, and thought we could �, and I don�t really know where the time went in Q3.

�The tyres felt fine � pretty much exactly the same as in Q1 and Q2, when the car felt great � but in Q3 the car started moving around a lot more, and it felt like the front was bottoming.

�We�d been quick all weekend, but sixth was the best I could do in Q3. I think we ought to have been further up the grid � but we�ll fight our way as far up the field as we can tomorrow. I�m sure it will be a good race.�

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

�Lewis recorded good times in Q1 and Q2, but his Q3 lap was about 0.3s slower than we�d hoped for. We don�t yet know the reason for that � it could be a number of things � but of course we�ll analyse it. It�s a pity, though, because without that 0.3s deficit he�d have been on the front row for tomorrow�s race.

�As for Jenson, he put in a very good lap in Q3 on used Option tyres � but, again, so close were the times of the drivers who qualified between P2 and P8, that a tenth or two would have made a significant difference to his grid slot.

�So fifth and sixth aren�t ideal, but tomorrow the weather may well be more changeable than it was today, and both our drivers have great ability in such conditions.�


















* Official photos and info courtesy of VODAFONE MCLAREN MERCEDES *

Copyright � 2010, fastfivecars. All rights reserved.