MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX DE-BRIEF - MARTIN WHITMARSH
Following the Malaysian Grand Prix, Martin Whitmarsh, CEO
Formula 1, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, discusses the race and
looks forward to the next round of the 2008 Formula 1 World
Championship in Bahrain.
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes was unable to repeat last
year’s epic Malaysian Grand Prix one-two finish this
time, but its lead in both Formula 1 World Championships remains
intact. What other positives can you take from the weekend?
"We knew it would be quite a challenge to beat Ferrari
in Malaysia and I think, ultimately, we underperformed. We
have drawn lots of positives from this season’s first
two races, though. I’m delighted with the way everyone
is working, for instance. Lewis and Heikki get along fantastically
well and in my 19 years with the team I don’t ever recall
seeing such an honest exchange of information between drivers."
Lewis began and ended his weekend very strongly,
but things seemed to go slightly awry in the middle, during
qualifying.
"He was certainly less comfortable with his car’s
balance on Saturday, but it was just one of those things.
It had rained overnight, which cleaned the track. That might
have been a factor, and then there was a wind direction change.
People don’t always appreciate how fluctuating ambient
conditions affect the way a car behaves. Sometimes that works
in your favour, sometimes it doesn’t - and I feel that
was what happened to Lewis. He felt very much at one with
his car on Friday, but things just slipped away. We will look
at that aspect of his weekend very closely and try to understand
it before we go to Bahrain."
The Sepang circuit has been resurfaced since last
season. Might that have influenced things from a Vodafone
McLaren Mercedes perspective?
"I don’t believe so. The circuit certainly offered
lower grip levels initially, but it evolved. The asphalt is
darker than before and thus gets warmer, which creates a greater
range of temperature variations, but I’m sure it didn’t
affect us adversely."
Heikki was unlucky not to finish second in Australia,
where an unfortunately timed Safety Car worked to his disadvantage,
so you must have been delighted to see him make the podium
here.
"Heikki did a terrific job. He and his crew developed
his car’s set-up to the point that he was quicker than
Lewis in qualifying - even though he had a marginally heavier
fuel load. He did an excellent job in the race, too. Despite
a five-position grid penalty, for obstructing another car
during qualifying, he recovered to finish third. Without it
I’m confident he would have been second. He was supposedly
struggling for confidence last year, when people were starting
to question his potential, but I’m delighted to see
how hard he’s worked since joining Vodafone McLaren
Mercedes."
Let’s go back to the qualifying penalties.
Lewis and Heikki both lost five grid positions because they
were adjudged to have impeded rivals. How did you see it?
"Usually, all the quickest cars are running simultaneously
at the end of qualifying, but this time quite a few drivers
- including ours - went out slightly early because there was
a clear threat of rain. We ended up with a situation in which
six cars arrived together at the same point on the circuit.
Lewis and Heikki were two of four in fuel-saving mode, having
finished their runs, while the other two were still flat out.
We warned our drivers to keep out of the way, so they were
aware of faster cars approaching, but in fairness Heikki looked
in his mirrors and saw a number of cars, some to the left
and some to the right. He could see a BMW that had switched
to the right and had to make an instant decision about whether
or not it was on a quick lap. He decided it would be dangerous
to cut across the track if the car behind had a possible closing
speed of about 200kph (125mph). He and Lewis tried their best
to keep out of the way, but I understand both the other drivers’
frustration and the stewards’ decision. It might seem
harsh on the surface, but the officials need to send out a
clear message and we respect that."
Would you like to see the regulations changed, to
avoid a possible repeat of situations such as this?
"You have to be careful not to shoot from the hip, but
all teams are involved in the rule-making process and we missed
something when the regulations last changed. Everyone backs
off to save fuel, because the rules allow it, but in reality
we shouldn’t have a regulation that allows for closing
speeds of 200kph on a busy track."
Lewis made a fantastic start and showed his customary
verve by slicing from ninth to fifth within the first few
corners. He looked set for yet another strong finish until
he lost significant time at his first pit stop. What happened,
exactly?
"The wheel-nut locking mechanism failed. When the gunman
went to remove the nut it wouldn’t come off. In the
end he did a fantastic job because he switched to the spare
gun and had to remove the pre-loaded wheel nut/hub cap. It
appears to be a problem within the axle and the locking mechanism.
It’s something that hasn’t happened before and
it cost Lewis two things - 10 seconds in the pits and vital
track position. It meant he spent much of his second stint
behind Mark Webber’s Red Bull and overtaking is notoriously
difficult at Sepang. Without his problem, though, that fantastic
first stint would have earned him a place on the podium."
Next stop, Bahrain. What can we expect to see there?
"Our next major evolutionary step will be in Barcelona,
but we tried one or two minor developments on the car in Malaysia
and the same will be true in Bahrain. We have to make sure
we perform better there. We’re leading both World Championships,
so it hasn’t been too shabby a start to the year, but
we need to raise our game in Bahrain and carry that through
into the European season."
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