Martin Whitmarsh says no one seems dominant in 2012 – Formula 1 news
Martin Whitmarsh, team principal of McLaren says that he does not feel there is any single team, including his own team, which would be dominant in the forthcoming 2012 F1 season starting this weekend at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia.
During the last season, Red Bull Racing took victories in 12 out of 19 races and remained ahead of every other contender while winning both the constructors’ and drivers’ championships.
However, Whitmarsh had said that they were prepared for the tussle with the defending champions as this year McLaren had enjoyed a more successful pre-season testing programme at Jerez and Barcelona circuits.
“Firstly, the winter has been a better one than last year,” he told the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in. “We went to last year's Australian race having not completed a race distance and having been spectacularly uncompetitive during the winter. Our sense
is that we are competitive, certainly internally.”
However, he said that they did not seem to be in front which created a negative feeling. Nevertheless, he said that no other team could be deemed ahead which was quite supportive for them.
In addition, he said at that point, the performance of the teams was being judged by the tyre programmes, fuel loads and test programmes but the race simulations and long runs were the more profound indicators of the performance in which they were competent
enough.
He also said that they had not run the new car on low fuel so far but the prior signs imply that it would be fast in the qualifying round at Melbourne this Saturday. Subsequently he said that he believed Red Bull and themselves did not do the appropriate
race simulation during the pre-season tests.
Furthermore, he said that the team had two very talented and spirited drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, who were capable of winning enough races which would help them in leading the championship in the forthcoming season.
“Aided by a strong team and two very hungry, competitive and fast racing drivers, we should be expecting to win races this year. And if we can win enough of them hopefully that will lead to the championships,” he said.
Tags: