F1 Monza - SAT - Qualifying - Jenson Button 2nd, Lewis Hamilton 5th

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Monza, Italy, Sep 11, 2010

Two-pronged attack for Monza!

JENSON BUTTON
- MP4-25A-03
- P3 programme: 5th, 1m22.724s (+0.226s), 19 laps
- Qualifying:
- Q1: 4th, 1m23.085s (on Primes)
- Q2: 2nd, 1m22.354s (on Options)
- Q3: 2nd, 1m22.084s (on Options)

�I�ve felt very happy all weekend running the higher of our two downforce packages. The car has felt very good and I�ve been comfortable with the stability of the rear. You know you�ll be competitive when you keep finding small increments of time here and there.


�Over a single lap, the car is good, but its real benefit will be felt in the race tomorrow, when we should have stronger long-run pace. We�re running more downforce than most people; that�ll make it more tricky over the first couple of laps, but we should be more consistent in the race.

�I want to say a big thank you to the whole team for bringing a great package to this weekend�s race. Our car is moving forwards all the time. It will be an incredible battle at the front tomorrow, but, starting from the front row, my aim must be for a victory.

�A win here would be very important; I�ve got the world championship trophy at home - and I want it to stay there!�

LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-25A-04
- P3 programme: 1st, 1m22.498s, 19 laps
- Qualifying:
- Q1: 3rd, 1m22.830s (on Primes)
- Q2: 3rd, 1m22.394s (on Options)
- Q3: 5th, 1m22.623s (on Options)

�I�m a little bit disappointed - it would appear that we took the wrong route by running without the F-duct this weekend. I just didn�t have the downforce today, and the car was sliding in the corners - I couldn�t push any harder because the car just wouldn�t give me any more.

�For tomorrow�s race, I�ll have good top speed, but the car is going to be sliding through the corners, so I won�t be able to follow closely enough through the corners to try and pass, so it�ll be tough. But I have to congratulate Jenson on doing a great job.

�Today wasn�t my best qualifying performance of the season, but we�ll still push like crazy tomorrow and fight for some good points from the third row. It looks like it�ll be a tough race.�

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

�Today we saw a really strong qualifying lap from Jenson. He missed bagging what would have been McLaren�s 147th Formula One pole position by just a smidgen over a tenth of a second - and, when it�s that close, you�re inevitably just a little disappointed that you didn�t get pole.

�But Jenson will start from the front row tomorrow and will therefore be supremely well placed to mount a combative yet disciplined challenge for victory. Clearly, having been quick all weekend, Lewis had hoped for better than fifth place in qualifying. With hindsight, I think we sent him out just a little too close to Mark [Webber].

�It�s always a tricky balancing act, because you want to send your drivers out so that they have a chance of getting a tow, but you don�t want to let them get so close to the cars they�re following that they encounter too much dirty air and therefore �wash out� in the corners; I think that�s perhaps what happened to Lewis in Parabolica, hence his slightly disappointing time in Sector Three.

�Having said all that, Lewis is every bit as focused on scoring heavily tomorrow as is Jenson, and those who know him (Lewis) won�t be surprised to hear me say that he�ll be aiming to make up places as soon as the five red lights go out on the start-line gantry.�




















* Official photos and details courtesy of VODAFONE MCLAREN MERCEDES *

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