Lewis Hamilton Optimistic of McLaren Team
McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton firmly believes that there is a lot more to come from his team in the rest of the season, after leading a McLaren one-two finish at the Turkish Grand Prix.
Hamilton was fortunate that the two Red Bull drivers collided when Sebastian Vettel tried to go past his teammate Mark Webber, and as both were derailed, Hamilton made his way to the front of the race, and held on to take his first win of the season.
25-year old Hamilton said: "We have closed the gap and we have good things coming in the next few races.”
"It is not the win I would have dreamed of but I am very happy for the team."
The win at Istanbul Park on Sunday came after a long drought for Lewis, as he last won a race back in Singapore last season, and if it was not for the unfortunate collision between Webber and Vettel, Red Bull were on course for another storming win.
The new rule and car changes have meant that most teams including McLaren have been found wanting when it comes to matching the two Red Bulls head on.
And as Hamilton and Button got out in front to lead the race, both British drivers did not look to have learned anything from the Red Bull disaster minutes earlier, as both McLaren drivers got into a battle of their own to take the first position. The competition led to some nervous moments which left the pit crew and their fans breathing heavily, with just 10 laps to go.
Jenson Button did manage to get in front of his teammate at the end of the back straight, but Hamilton overtook in Turn One.
McLaren Team principal Martin Whitmarsh admitted after the race that it was heart stopping, but Hamilton said it was a "great battle".
Hamilton said: "Towards the end we were trying to look after the tyres, the car and the fuel.
"The target they gave me was a little bit slower than perhaps they had really meant for me and all of a sudden Jenson was on my tail.
"I had a great battle with him and I was happy to get past him because it was a surprise to see him go past me.
“We are allowed to race but we have to be sensible as we are a team - we both want to win the constructors' championship and the world [drivers'] championship but we're not stupid.”
The former world champion said he wouldn't do anything dangerous to put himself or his teammate in trouble, but when on the track, it is every man for himself and the motive is to win at all costs, but there is still a mutual respect between the two.
Hamilton added that Jenson is a fair driver, and would never try to sabotage the team’s chances in a race. Commenting on the huge amount of friendship and understanding between both drivers, he said: “We have a huge amount of respect for each other, and he is the best teammate I have had.”
When Hamilton was questioned about why he was a little subdued on the podium, he said he had mixed feeling at the end of the race, as the last few laps were very straining, and they probably took their toll on him. But he said that he felt very happy and blessed to have won his first race in a long time.
Hamilton famously had a number of problems when he had Fernando Alonso as his teammate, and if the scenes at the Istanbul Grand Prix are anything to go by, one can expect to see another rivalry within McLaren, hopefully just for the sake for the sport, as even in this case, it was just a matter of both drivers looking to win at any cost.
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