Formula 1 News

2009 Australian GP, race: McLaren-Mercedes quotes 

Martin Whitmarsh: “Today was one of those days on which Lewis demonstrated very clearly just what a fantastic racing driver he is. Throughout the race he showed great speed and tenacity, tempered when necessary by commendable patience. The car we supplied him wasn’t as competitive as we’d have liked it to be – we’ve made no secret of that – but we’re working flat-out, night and day, to improve it. The points Lewis scored today are of course very welcome – and, as and when we regain our form, we hope they’ll take on a greater significance still. As for Heikki, he started with a heavy fuel-load and could also have scored points today – but, sadly, and blamelessly on his part, his race was ended early on when he happened upon an incident involving two other cars. Lastly, well done to all at Brawn GP – and of course also to Mercedes-Benz, whose superb engines powered the first three cars.”

Heikki Kovalainen: “Obviously, my race was very short. Webber had a moment at the first corner and his front wheel hit my left-front. It was a racing accident – these things unfortunately happen.”

Norbert Haug: “Lewis finally in third place and the best car with KERS – this is more than we had expected after starting 18th. He drove an excellent race under very difficult circumstances and proved his world-champion class. During the second Safety Car period, Trulli had an off and Lewis overtook him for third place, but he let Trulli past again. But the stewards’ decision after the race gave him back third place. It’s a shame for Heikki; without the first-corner multiple-car collision which was not his fault, he also could have scored a solid result in this turbulent race. Congratulations to Brawn GP, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello on their one-two victory – three times Mercedes-powered cars in the top three makes us happy. Our customer team did a great job and we helped to ‘Keep the Customer Satisfied’!”

Lewis Hamilton: “We scored way more points than we could have realistically expected. I was looking to try and get one point, so to get six is a great achievement. We’ve definitely not forgotten how to win: our strategy was perfect and the team did a fantastic job. Considering the package we’ve got, I wrung every last ounce of pace out of the car, drove one of my best ever races and absolutely raced my heart out – I’m so satisfied. Also, my heartfelt congratulations to Jenson – he’s driven brilliantly all weekend and both he and his team really deserve this success.”

source: McLaren Mercedes