F1 Silverstone - SUN - Race - Podium for Lewis, fourth for Jenson

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Silverstone, United Kingdom, Jul 11, 2010

LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-25A-04
- Started: 4th
- Finished: 2nd
- Fastest lap: 1m32.758s (+1.884s), 6th
- Pitstops: One: on lap 16 (Opt-Pri)
- 2010 points: 145 (1st)

�It�s been a phenomenal weekend - and this result is a near-perfect way to finish it. I�m so happy: considering how far behind we were in practice, we really didn�t expect to be this far up today. I�m very proud of the team and the effort they put in, as always. At the start, I was able to jump Fernando [Alonso] and take a step forward.


�After that I chased Mark [Webber] for the whole race, but the Red Bull was about four or five tenths a lap faster than our car, so it was very difficult to stay close to him. Still, the most important thing is that we scored a lot of world championship points once again, so this is another great race result for us. It�s been the biggest turnout I�ve ever seen here.

�And the support from all the fans has been incredible, I couldn�t ask for more. You can�t hear them cheering their support in the car, but you can feel it; and I carry every single one of them with me in the car. They give me a huge boost of confidence on every lap. We�ve got two weeks to work on our upgrades before the next grand prix.

�I won the last race at Hockenheim, in 2008, and if we can get the new floor there, we should be looking pretty strong. We�ve just got to keep pushing: this world championship is still all to play for.�

JENSON BUTTON
- MP4-25A-03
- Started: 14th
- Finished: 4th
- Fastest lap: 1m33.003s (+2.129s), 9th
- Pitstops: One: on lap 21 (Opt-Pri)
- 2010 points: 133 (2nd)

�That was a great race, and I�m so happy to have made up 10 places. But it�s hard to overtake around here, so I knew I had to make up a lot of places off the start-line. In the event I made up six places, but I then had to push really hard on the Option tyre in the first stint.

�That strategy worked for us and I came out behind Fernando, who had a drive-through, so I picked up fourth. It�s a pity I couldn�t have overtaken Nico (Rosberg), but this is still a fantastic result for me. It�s a pity I couldn�t get onto the podium in front of my home crowd, who have been absolutely amazing all weekend. You can never forget the fans around here - I genuinely think they helped Lewis and me to a good result today.

�And they got to see and cheer Lewis on the podium too, so it�s not been a bad weekend for them overall, I hope. After Friday, to pick up second and fourth today is great. I�m still second in the drivers� championship, and the only pain is that Lewis has pulled away a bit. But we�ll try and get that back at the next race.

�I reckon we�ll turn up at Hockenheim with a stronger car, and that therefore we won�t be fighting from the start of the weekend. I hope we�ll have a good race there and can really take the fight to the Red Bulls.�

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

�Well, what can I say?! Both our drivers drove fantastic races under serious pressure, and the result was 30 valuable points to add to our constructors� world championship kitty. Lewis made a superb start and thereafter kept the pace up all afternoon. He drove brilliantly - in fact I don�t think you�ll see many better second places than that all season.

�Jenson, too, drove a masterly race to make up 10 places - from 14th at the start to fourth at the finish - and the team got all the strategy calls right for him. In fact, the team�s efforts over the whole weekend have been exemplary. I�ve said it before, but the team is operating more cohesively than ever before, whether we�ve been working late into the night to prepare the cars, or Gary putting in additional time in the simulator on Friday night to ensure we began Saturday in as competitive a proposition as possible.

�It�s that effort and dedication that has kept us in the lead of both world championships. So, well done, boys. So, yes, although we didn�t win the 2010 Santander British Grand Prix, today is a good day. We saw an excellent afternoon�s racing on a wonderful racetrack � and we leave Silverstone with our lead in the constructors� world championship intact, and with Lewis and Jenson still in first and second places in the drivers� world championship.

�In the past four grands prix we�ve scored 149 points out of a possible 172 - a stupendous achievement that speaks volumes for the tenacious determination of all at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.�












* Official photos and info courtesy of VODAFONE MCLAREN MERCEDES *

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