McLaren-Mercedes upbeat ahead of Spanish Grand Prix, praise KERS and DRS – Formula 1 news
The Britain-based team McLaren-Mercedes are confident about their success in the upcoming 2011 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix scheduled to be held on May 22.
McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button and team principal Martin Whitmarsh said that the Spanish Grand Prix will play well for them.
Lewis Hamilton said that the Spanish Grand Prix is traditionally the start of the European season. The Brit said, “We’re optimistic that we’ll once again be back in the fight for the big points this weekend.” He further added that the Turkish Grand Prix
did not turn out as expected so they are more hopeful about the Spanish GP.
The 2008 Formula 1 champion also said that the Drag Reduction System will be helpful in overtaking in Barcelona. He said that overtaking will be difficult in Spain due to squeezed corners and short straights but movable rear wing will play well.
Button also said that the Spanish Grand prix will fare well for McLaren’s car, MP4-26. He said, “After a relatively low-key race for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team in Turkey, I think we’re headed to Spain and Monaco feeling more positive about getting
the most from our planned upgrades.” He added that some upgrades will be used in the car which will be helpful in the battling environment of Barcelona.
The 2009 champion added that the Pirelli tyres are still deceiving and every team is learning about them. Button’s run in Turkey was affected by the Pirelli tyres as he was on a three-stop strategy. He lost a position to Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg in the final
moments of the race.
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh also seemed hopeful about the Spanish race when he said, “We’ve seen how DRS and KERS Hybrid have influenced the racing so far this season, so we’ll see how things progress at Barcelona.”
McLaren team is 43 points behind the Red Bull team. Let’s see if they manage to get the better of their rivals in the Spanish GP or not.
Tags: