Formula One news: Martin Whitmarsh pushes Lewis Hamilton to make a comeback in Singapore
McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh is hopeful that Lewis Hamilton will brush aside his recent disappointment at Monza and make a comeback in the next race at Singapore. He also defended Hamilton’s move on Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, which resulted in driver’s retirement at the Italian Grand Prix.
Hamilton qualified for the race at fifth spot and was intent on overtaking Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso at the Monza's second chicane. Hamilton’s move turned ugly when he smashed his car into Massa's rear-left wheel. Heavy fuel, low down-force and poor use of brakes by Hamilton resulted in the accident. Collision left Hamilton with damaged steering, as he ran wide into first Lesmo. Resultantly, he retired from the race. The result greatly disappointed Hamilton, as points in Italy would have greatly assisted him in keeping checks on recent resurgence of Fernando Alonso.
However, Whitmarsh has fully defended his driver and is backing him to make a comeback. McLaren Boss said, “Lewis Hamilton would not be the great racing driver that he is if he didn't go for it - and that's what he did. In hindsight, I'm sure he wishes that he hadn't gone for it quite as much, and so do we, but I think you've got to go out there and race. He could have had a go later in the race - he had a fast racing car.” Whitmarsh further asserted that it was unfortunate that the damage proved terminal for Brit, as he had to retire from race. However, he expects him to bounce back from disappointment of Monza with a win in Singapore. He said: “The important thing is that tomorrow morning Lewis jumps out of bed, gets into training, and focuses on Singapore because he wants to do the job there - and he will, because I know Lewis.”
On the other hand, Ferrari is relishing the fact they are back in amidst of championship fight after Fernando Alonso won the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday. With this win, Alonso has closed down the gap to 21 between him and championship leader Red Bull’s Mark Webber. Similarly, Ferrari is 60 points behind in constructor’s championship. Alonso came to Italian Grand Prix after disappointment of Belgian Grand Prix, where he crashed out. The setback at the Belgian Grand Prix even prompted Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali to contemplate on shifting resource to 2011 season. But with Alonso’s amazing win at Monza, he has been forced to rethink about it. Talking to reporters, Italian Stefano Domenicali said: “The win has come at just the right time and at the right place. This season continues to throw up surprises: after the knock back in Spa, it might have looked as though we had had it, but we were not ready to think that way. We have always said we are not the sort to throw in the towel. Now the championship situation has opened up again.”
However, Alonso understands that with so many regulation changes for 2011, his team cannot solely concentrate on current season. But he insisted that Ferrari is determined to end this season on high note and will fight until the last race, giving the opponents a tough ride. Alonso’s form has seen upsurge especially in latter part of the season, which has somehow shifted focus from duo of Red Bull and McLaren that dominated the early part of the season. Commenting on it, the Spaniard said, “We have to stay focused and do our best. We cannot allow ourselves the slightest mistake, because we are still behind, but we have definitely taken a good step forward today.”
Currently Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren all are in contention for championship as F1 goes to Singapore for next race. With such intense competition and few races left, fans of F1 are up for nothing less than an enthralling finish to 2010 season.
Tags: