The teams’ tales after the Korean Grand Prix (Part 4)
McLarens
The odd one - Lewis Hamilton
After a series of mishaps and hard luck the British driver finally got a chance to outshine at the track. For Hamilton the second place finish at the Korean Grand Prix not only took him to the podium after a long time but also revived his chances of the 2010 title.
As the rain and the tough track at the start of the day kept the cars from coming on the track, the 26-year-old was really eager and impatient, as he kept on insisting that the race must begin now. While the safety car cruised through the track to check out the conditions Hamilton kept telling the reporters that he thought that the track was safe enough to drive.
Once out on the track, there was no stopping Hamilton. Moreover, the exit of both the Red Bull drivers from the track proved lucky for Fernando Alonso who won the race as well as for the British driver granting him second place on the podium.
While talking to the press conference after the race the 2008 world champion said, “At the start, I just wanted to get out there. I love racing, and I thought it was safe enough - 17 laps spent running behind the Safety Car isn't good for the spectators, and it's not fun for the drivers either. Additionally, I felt it had easily dried up enough for us to start racing - so I'm glad we did. It was very tricky out there, particularly at the end as it all turned out pitch black.”
Now as the British driver returned after his endeavour of the day he looked forward for the next two races of the season saying, “We've got two races ahead of us - we have more coming for the car, and the guys back at the factory are doing a great job. Everyone is really enthusiastic and is pushing as hard as they can. The championship definitely isn't out of reach - we can still do this."
The saddest man on the Korean track - Jenson Button
The Korean International track saw many mishaps, drivers kept slipping and sliding lap after lap and their races ending yet the man for whom the day was as bad as it could be was Jenson Button of McLaren.
Having finished the race at 12th place did not only mean a pointless finish for the driver but also it was a fatal race for the hopes of a second consecutive championship.
Prior to the race day, the British team driver stood at 5th place, 31 points adrift the charts’ Topper, Mark Webber. However, now as the third-last race of the season unwrapped the championship tally is being reigned by the Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso, while Button still stands at 5th place but now 42 points away from the top.
Moreover, with only two more races to go the driver has only 50 more points to play for, which means his chances to win are now are almost gone.
"I just didn't have enough grip today. I was really for the rest witch locking fronts as soon as I touched the brakes; every time I braked for a corner; I went straight on because I couldn't stop the car.”
However, the title defender still believes that there are chances that he could win the title. He said that mathematically he is still in the battle and he would continue fighting until the very end, “To win this championship, I'll now have to rely on the cars in front of me failing, so today was a pretty disappointing day, all in all."
To be continued…
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