VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES PRE-MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX Q&As
Before departing Europe for the Malaysian Grand Prix, Martin
Whitmarsh and Norbert Haug discussed the upcoming race at
Sepang and feelings within the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team
following the Australian event.
MARTIN WHITMARSH, CEO FORMULA 1, VODAFONE McLAREN
MERCEDES
Did the performance of the MP4-22 in Melbourne meet
your expectations?
The Australian Grand Prix this year was a good experience
as it generated a lot of positive feeling within the Vodafone
McLaren Mercedes team. We had good reliability, no real problems
over the course of the weekend and that was extremely satisfying
for everybody. The performance of both drivers was also very
gratifying, their whole approach was motivational and there
is the belief that there is more to come in the future.
However Vodafone McLaren Mercedes goes to each Grand Prix
to win, we didn’t and therefore it fell short of our
expectation in that regard. To come away leading the Constructors’
Championship with a very strong second and third showing was
a solid start to the year, and it is the basis upon which
we can now build a Championship assault.
Formula 1 now is more competitive than it has ever been,
with a lot of well funded teams and there are high expectations.
By comparison to most we came away from Australia with a more
positive feeling and we know we will be improving the car
race on race. Clearly at the moment we are primarily focused
on closing the gap to Ferrari, who have done a good job over
the winter, but they are within our grasp.
Were there any specific areas of the MP4-22 that
were identified as requiring development focus following its
first competitive outing?
Overall the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-22 is a
good car, its systems perform well, and we know in qualifying
format it is very good. We also know that we have to better
protect the rear Bridgestone Potenza tyres and ensure that
we are even more competitive over the long runs. Based on
winter testing we had an awareness of these issues before
the race, and they are areas we will focus on in our future
development programme.
Following Australia, what are your thoughts on the
use of two Bridgestone Potenza compounds during a race and
how it affects strategy?
I believe that Bridgestone had two good tyres in Australia;
there were
clear differences in first lap performance and the development
of degradation of each tyre over long runs. This meant they
were quite different in characteristic, which you want them
to be. It teased some teams into trying to make the option
tyre work in the race, which was challenging. Overall it meant
that most people were using their option tyres in the last
stint. It turned out that BMW Sauber using the option in the
first stint had an impact on our race, however it created
something different in the race and perhaps it is another
facet of interest for the public to understand during the
race itself.
What has been the focus at the Malaysia test this
week?
We have a car that has been reasonably reliable and it has
also demonstrated efficient cooling capacity, so fortunately
the test this week has not had to focus significantly on those
issues. The areas that we have been looking at have been long
run protection of performance as well as general performance
uplift. We have had a lot of interesting new components on
the car and it was a productive test. But all the other teams
are also working hard and improving. During a test, everyone
runs with different fuel loads so you can’t read anything
from the final times, but next Saturday in Malaysia we will
know whether we’ve been able to improve at a faster
rate than our competitors.
What are your expectations for the race at Sepang?
Sepang is a demanding circuit, where we under performed last
year. I believe that going into the race this season we have
a package that will be competitive and we go with the desire
to win. We certainly came away from the first race knowing
we have a performance deficit to Ferrari, especially on long
runs, and our expectations are to be closer to Ferrari on
this circuit,
NORBERT HAUG, VICE PRESIDENT, MERCEDES-BENZ MOTORSPORT
How do you consider the team’s performance
at the season opener in Melbourne?
We are happy with the performance of Fernando and Lewis. Finishing
second and third they scored 14 out of 18 possible points.
However, Ferrari and Kimi Raikkonen were faster on this occasion
and we therefore have to improve further. During the tests
from 27th until 29th March we worked on further optimising
our technical package.
How do you judge Fernando’s performance in
his debut race for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes?
Finishing second in both qualifying and race Fernando achieved
the best possible result considering our immediate competitive
level on that day. With his faultless performance he proved
how he became a double World Champion. He is working professionally
and focused and is motivating the entire team.
Lewis also secured a podium finish. Were you surprised?
Lewis started his Grand Prix career in an impressive way.
For more than ten years, no Formula 1 rookie ended up on the
podium in his first race. For about ten years, Lewis has been
supported by McLaren and Mercedes-Benz, and he showed his
talent winning the Formula 3 Euro Series on the supporting
programme to the DTM and subsequently the GP2 title. As a
driver, he may not always do everything right this season,
but the team will back him all the way.
How do you consider the Mercedes-Benz engine’s
performance?
After being adjusted to the new rules the engines showed differences
concerning peak performance, characteristics, driveability,
and torque. Compared to the competition we are well prepared.
Which are the specific challenges of the Sepang circuit
for the engine?
At the Sepang Circuit we will experience completely
different conditions than in Melbourne. Ambient temperatures
of above 30 degrees and a high humidity, the engines will
be challenged a lot more than usual. For the technicians,
cooling of the engines is crucial. In these difficult conditions,
almost 70 percent of a lap will be driven under full throttle,
however, we have a good basis.
What are the statistics of the team in the Malaysian
Grand Prix?
In 2003, Kimi won here his first Formula 1 race from seventh
on the grid. In addition, we achieved three podium positions
and three fastest race laps since the inaugural Malaysian
Grand Prix in 1999.
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