As long as LH and JB qualify in the Top 6 the car will compete for podiums.

After watching today's race I'd say as long as they qualify anywhere we'll compete for podiums

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Lewis just needs a burnout when leaves the track, then he'll calm down.

I wanted a 1-2 or 1-3, I felt that possible as it was so close. I could be more happy with both guys on the podiom, as both drives deserved it.

Now I'm hoping for a 1-2 at Sepang, the race pace and fighting agility of the MP4-25 is excellent, and that track can be the first which exceptionally suits the car. Bring it on!

Your own signature shows that he's not the only driver ever to lose his cool at the team. They're only human, and IMO Lewis had a right to be pissed (but maybe not be so vocal).

Thanks

GREAT stuff

J

Least it wasn't boring race, my heart was going so fast i nearly had frigging heart attack!
if mp4-25 gets ride adjustment next race, well may as well roll up and smoke the opposition.
nice job (***exept lewis strategy***).

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Fast and fragile yet I think some of you are jumping the gun, i dont think a brake failure can be put on Adrian's shoulders, he doesn't design the discs, so until we know why the brake failed we cant blame it on him, and i also think alot of people are jumpign the gun saying they wont be a threat cos they're fragile, they will be a threat all year and its only a matter of time before they get it right. So we best make hay while the sun shines and until we improve our overall pace in every area before they get it right. Cos right now, they are alot of ahead of most.

Dont be so sure, it was not easy overtkaing. I think you are getting carried away with the few moves Lewis made. Its tough to overtake.

Hello guys A Mclaren fan for years, and has been following you for a while.

Great result today, although I fear we are still a little behind Ferrari(at least Alonso's) and Redbull, even in race pace.

Second race, and second time we see that we are ok in race and there is a big difference to quali. This confirm there is a device that doesn' t allow us to bring our performance to quali. Next week without that it' s going to be tough again Saturday, let' s hope we can really get it in China.

Welcome

Yup we need that ride height adjuster. Aero track next week anyway, let's see what happens there.

Hello buddy, welcome aboard.......

I don't think Lewis should be too down hearted, win the next race and he'll be up there with Alonso an Button, its all to play for, he's getting good points and is one of the 3 or 4 drivers competing.

I will say the WDC will be from Alonso, Lewis, Button or Vettel. The WCC is between Ferrari and McLaren only.

I cant wait for Malaysia. I was a bit hesitant with Melbourne but this sepang should be good for the team. Again Reb Bull should be the team to beat.

I agree, although lewis's call was probably Andys Fault!

Fantastic race pace from Macca. Its a wet(ish) race but that is a clear conclusion from today. Redbull still look to have enough in hand to win races if they can finish but a contest with Ferrari in the next few races is a real possibility if qualy goes well.

All bets are off once the teams get back to Europe.

Beyond that anything else is wishful thinking....

Great job from JB to score a win in these circumstances and unbelievably a 1-2 was on the cars till the team (for the umpteenth time) screwed up LH's strategy. Who says we dont have the best driver pairing...

.. Shhhh ... were not supposed to mention that.

Red Bull had this win in the bag too. Vettel and Webber were in a strong 1-2 position untill the track started drying up and Jenson had that call from Mclaren that worked out well.

Red Bull seriously has to question why things don't go their way. Is 2010 going to be a repeat of 2009, but this time Ferrari going away with the win

edit: So i think in wet races, the Mclaren still is too slow for Red Bull.

Has anyone got a list of tracks with the longest striaghts, how long is next weeks MY gp striaght?

Sepang has 2 long straights S1 at start and S3 and a few high speed corners.

Same with Monza 08 ... but youre right this was way more unlucky... that said both were due to messed up quali. This time the failure to set the car up for quali was probably more down to LH than the team this time if the hints that Whitmarsh dropped yesteday are to be believed.

China has the longest straight in F1 in believe. But when we get their, I think other teams have the same rear wings as the Mclaren

I think we can do very well there even if we don't qualify high. The wing is almost a kers on the striaght and certainly helps the slip streaming. Atleast another McLaren driver on the podium next week.

But height adjuster is also ready, Yeah

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I think the boys did well today although it could have been better. Certainly made the wrong call with Lewis. If we can get it together in qualifying, i think we will be there with Redbull and Ferrari in race pace.

Yep! To be on the safe side nothing worse than third row. I dont know why i am not so confident with the team setting up both cars right for quali. Seems to be so many tweaks and a hit and miss with one cars set up good and the other not so much, quite different from the previous years. I guess the new drivers engineers need time to settle in? What do i know anyway

Will they get any updates for the next race? I'm so happy to see McLaren on top. Great race, but no more tactical mistakes in the following races, please!

Not that i disagree but for the love of god why do you come out with these all knowing statements? how on earth can you compare, they had totally different races. The idea of f1 racing is different in 2010 its not a sprint after each tyre change where you can gauge every ones race pace.

Yeps, no more mistakes please.
As long as the car is not fast enough to outright beat Red Bull and Ferrari, they must be always placed right their to benefit form their misfirtunes and mistakes.

The next race will be a good track for the MP4 - 25 no?

Lots of fast corners and straights, not a high downforce track, I heard Martin say that Lewis lost some downforce from when he overtook Massa so i guess that the car didn't really depend on the downforce too much around Australia as Lewis's times were not affected.

crucial pieces of radio transmission missing on mclaren's website:

http://mclaren.com/home

fantastic to see censorship being applied

Albert Park, Sunday March 28


JENSON BUTTON

MP4-25A-03

Started: 4th

Finished: 1st

Fastest lap: 1m29.291s (6th)

Pitstops: one: lap 6 (Int-Op)

2010 points: 31 (3rd)

“What a fantastic weekend! From the first lap here, I felt comfortable in the car. Qualifying was good – we weren’t on the pace of the front guys, we were five or six tenths off – but our race pace was better. And in these tricky conditions, I think we made some very good calls and we came away with a victory. You might say we were lucky in some ways, but I think we just made the right calls – and that’s so important nowadays. It’s not just about speed, it’s about making the right calls, being consistent and conserving the car.

“It was a necessary move to pit for slicks. I was struggling for grip on the Inters, and the rears were destroying themselves very quickly, so we figured it must be time for dries. As I drove down the pitlane, I could see it was soaking wet and I feared it was a massive mistake on my part. When I left the pits, I went off the circuit and just thought, ‘Oh no!’

“But I got to grips with it pretty quickly, and soon started to feel really good in the car. I caught up behind Sebastian [Vettel], I conserved the tyres, I built a useful gap and I want to say a massive thank-you to the whole Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team: they’ve done a brilliant job.

“To not only be on the podium, but to be on the top step, after just two races, is amazing. It’s crucial to get the big points when perhaps we don’t have the out-and-out pace: these are really important points to us. Now we’ve really got to get our heads down and hopefully turn up in Malaysia next week with an even better car.

“This victory means so much to me. A Grand Prix win in a McLaren. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Right now, I just want to run around and scream. It’s just the most amazing experience.”



LEWIS HAMILTON

MP4-25A-02

Started: 11th

Finished: 6th

Fastest lap: 1m28.506s (3rd)

Pitstops: two, laps 7 and 34, (Int-Op-Op)

2010 points: 23 (4th)

“This was probably one of the drives of my life. Okay, it’s possible that the decision to make a second tyre stop wasn’t the right one, but my team are a brilliant bunch of guys and they usually get it spot-on. I guess things can’t always pan out right every time, but that’s motor racing.

“It was disappointing to taken out by Mark Webber, but I hear he apologised for it after the race so I appreciate that. I’m happy with the job I did – I drove my heart out today and the car felt good.

“Could Jenson and I have had a one-two today? Maybe, yes, but you can’t say for sure. One thing I can say for sure, though, is that he drove a great race. Congratulations to him for an excellent first win for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – it’s a good feeling!

“As for me, I’ll just keep fighting. It’s the only way I know.”



MARTIN WHITMARSH

Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

“This afternoon’s race was an absolutely perfect showcase for Formula 1, and amply demonstrates that this sport will always surprise, thrill and enthral us in many, many ways.

“For the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, it was an afternoon of two fantastic, albeit contrasting, performances. Jenson’s was a drive truly worthy of a world champion. First, he showed extreme tactical acuity and supreme strategic responsibility by personally electing to make the early call from intermediate to dry tyres, a move that moved him ahead of the pack and laid the foundation for this victory.

“Second, he drove with incredible intelligence and impressive maturity to maintain a consistent gap at the front, altering his car’s settings in order to best look after the tyres during the extremely long second stint. It was, in all ways, a faultless victory.

“Lewis’s race was in real contrast to Jenson’s, but no less brilliant for it. After starting 11th, he once again showed the grit, determination, passion and bravery that has made him one of the most exciting racing drivers in the world.

“In less than an hour this afternoon, I think it’s fair to say that he almost single-handedly debunked the much-touted recent theory that Formula 1 has become boring. On the contrary, he entertained millions of people around the world with a series of audacious and thrilling overtaking manoeuvres.

“While we concede that, with hindsight, it’s possible that we may have been better served by calling Lewis’s tyre strategy differently, we’re enormously encouraged by his never-give-up attitude and his ever-exciting talent.

“So we leave Albert Park hugely encouraged by the pace we were able to demonstrate, and we head to Malaysia keen to maintain that momentum.

“Finally, I also think it’s worth praising the extremely valuable contribution of ExxonMobil in this race: their engineers and chemists have done a fantastic job over the winter to provide us with a set of fuel and lubricants that really set the standard in Formula 1; their performance, efficiency and reliability played a crucial role in our victory today.”

From: McLaren.com

J

All in all not too bad a result. The coming races Red Bull probably will get it right and take points from Ferrari and us. Looking at the standings, we should look at Red Bull and not Ferrari if we are to compete for the championship I think. They are the clear favorites for the titles and thus our target. Hopefully we can improve our sheer pace soon and we'll be right up there. Looking at our development potential, there's everything to fight for!

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Thnks Bond!

J

If only Lewis done a better qualy lap yesterday...

Watching him today was enthralling, easily one of the best drivers on the grid.
He'll win the next one!

Yeah..

Very impressive race from the drivers and the team today.

Unfortunate for Lewis for the pit call and for Webber ramming him, but he was set for 2nd, and it would have been one of the most spectacular 1-2's in a while. Button putting slick tires on a damp track early and then going for 50+ laps on soft tires for the win, while Lewis, from 11th on the grid, looked unstoppable for much of the race - great stuff.

Did you post this with a heavy heart?

Also the mood swing changed again today!

What an impressive result. The mighty McLaren has shown what it can do. I can´t wait for the 1-2 victory in Sepang. If they have the ride height adjustment system, they will be unbeatable.

I am still stuck here with the tyre decision

1. He doesn't pit

Best case scenario - He passes Kubica pressures Button - 1st
Worst case scenario - his tyres go off - 5-6th

2. He does pit

Best case scenario - everyone else pits he finishes 2nd
Worst case scenario - He come out in traffic no one else pits - 6th-7th

You go with the 1st option. best case he wins... worst he finishes 5th. But they went with the option that has lesser best and worst case scenarios. wtf ?
lol

Hamilton's weekend reminded me of the one he had at Monza in 2008. First a sub par qualifying effort (caused by wrong tyre choice?) and then a real charge with numerous daring overtakes, which was all undone in the end by a strategic blunder (I'm looking at you, ATM_Andy). He even had a slight contact with Webber in that Monza GP, too.

Anyway, great win for Jenson. Hopefully McLaren won't make a habit of shooting itself in the foot when there's a 1-2 in sight.

How much have you had to drink?

My sentiments exactly

In second option traffic wasn't problem because they usually calculate distance so he returned in front of webber. And best case scenario was that everybody pit (Button also) and then Lewis would be first. I don't think there is enough information yet to say that soft tires can last almost whole race (it was some sort of gamble also) This way Mclaren ensured a win (ether for JB or LH) but unfortunately lost possibly opportunity for 1-2. Conservative as alwayas

What a disgrace from Mclaren. They have really stolen hamilton's victory today! I'm utterly dissapointed.

Button did a great job but man Hamilton was epic. Three times being hit and still going, that 25 is a tank.

We lost a 1-2 today due to poor mcl management and this could cost us dear at the end of the year.... I still can't believe how they ****ed up, 'cause they did!

Hamilton lost even points to nando today which is a disgrace if you look at the total picture of how the race went.

And please, make sure webber gets hit the next time round. That maniac has destroyed lewis race and is a DANGER on track with his hot-headed dumbo moves.

Congrats to button and lewis and a big slap in the face for mcl tactics: what a disgrace!!!