Martin Whitmarsh: McLaren confident about Valencia but Red Bull team to watch out for – Formula 1
McLaren’s team boss Martin Whitmarsh has said that his team is very confident stepping into the Valencia Grand Prix of the 2011 Formula 1 season after a successful outing in Montreal.
However, Whitmarsh also said that Red Bull will still be the team to watch out for as they are still far ahead in qualifier pace.
Talking about the Valencia track, Whitmarsh stated, “We've typically gone well around the Valencia street circuit but we've never won there before. I think we go into the weekend feeling encouraged and motivated by our performance, but still realistic that
Red Bull remains the pacesetter - particularly in qualifying.”
McLaren’s Formula 1 driver Jenson Button pulled a remarkable victory in the Montreal race which has boosted up the morale of the Woking-based team. The Brit was able to win the race in the very last lap of the race overtaking the defending world champion
Sebastian Vettel on turn six.
Whitmarsh was upbeat about McLaren’s success in the Valencia street track after Button took an amazing victory in Montreal.
He said, “Jenson's fantastic last-to-first result in Canada last weekend proved beyond doubt that, as a team, we never give up. That victory was a great fillip for the entire organisation and shows that our tireless efforts to bring constant upgrades to
the track are really paying off.”
He further added that McLaren’s upgrade and wet race setup paid off in Montreal which was good to see. McLaren have been the second best team of the 2011 Formula 1 championship behind the defending world champions Red Bull.
However, every now and then, McLaren have shown that Red Bull are far away from being declared as unbeatable.
In the last three races, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel has come under heavy challenges from McLaren and Ferrari as well. Vettel survived in Spain and Monaco but in Montreal, the young German was unable to soak up the pressure from Button.
The Brit was going faster than the German and in the very last lap of the Montreal race, the Formula 1 world saw the first mistake from Vettel.
The German tried to open up the gap a little bit and in the process lost control of his RB7 and went wide on turn six, giving Button just enough time to not only take the victory but also open up the gap to almost two seconds.
Nevertheless, Whitmarsh stated that McLaren’s aim for the next 12 races of the 2011 Formula 1 season is to win races.
The eighth grand prix of the season is going to be held in Valencia on June 26, 2011.
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