F1/モータースポーツ深堀サイト:山口正己責任編集

LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-24-02
P3 programme
1m32.789s (19 laps, 16th)

Qualifying
Q1 1m30.917s (on Option, 2nd)
Q2 1m30.627s (on Option, 2nd)
Q3 1m32.395s (on Option, 3rd overall)
After
struggling with a difficult and unresponsive car during this morning’s
P3 session, the team made some lengthy adjustments to MP4-24 ahead of
the qualifying session. The changes clearly worked,transforming the car
and enabling Lewis to match the frontrunners during all three sessions.
He lines up third on the grid for tomorrow’s
Japanese Grand Prix.
“We
didn’t expect to be as competitive as we were this afternoon,” Lewis
said later. “Our car was tricky this morning and we had to make some
significant changes between sessions. It was impossible to extract the
best from the car, especially through the first sector. We didn’t have
much time to develop a dry set-up so we went into qualifying hoping
that the changes would work – and they did.
“I’ve said it before,
but I really love this circuit, it’s so much fun and has such history
and character; I feel honoured and overwhelmed to be driving where the
great drivers of the past have raced.
“I would love to win here
tomorrow, and I’ll do everything I can to do so: I’ll drive my heart
out. Although the Red Bull will be very hard to beat, there’s a long
run down to Turn One and our KERS is working better than ever.
Sebastian has more to worry about than I do, too. He’ll be looking at
the world championship, I’m just here to have a good time and score
some points for my team to help us move further up theconstructors’
championship table.”

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
MP4-24-03
P3 programme
1m32.546s (22 laps, 8th)

Qualifying
Q1 1m31.499s (on Option, 12th)
Q2 1m31.223s (on Option, 9th)
Q3 No time (9th overall)
Heikki
reported fewer problems with his car than Lewis in the morning’s
session and satisfactorily honed his car until he felt he had extracted
a good deal of performance from the chassis ahead of qualifying.
He
eased through the first two sessions (in 12th and ninth), but, as he
began his first flying lap, he lost the car through the high-speed Turn
Eight and ended up against the tyre barrier. By virtue of Sebastien
Buemi’s earlier shunt (at the end of Q2), Heikki will start the race
from ninth tomorrow.
“I went a bit too fast into Turn Eight, over
the kerb, and the car broke out and I couldn’t get it back on the
track. So it was game over.
“Today’s three accidents prove that
everybody is pushing the limit as much as possible as the running time
in the dry was very limited. The car felt good, the balance was okay
and we should be in good shape for tomorrow.
“I now hope that the damage on my car won’t be so bad that my mechanics have to spend the night repairing it.”

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“After
very limited dry running prior to today’s qualifying session, Lewis did
a great job to qualify third. As a result, starting from the clean side
of the track, assisted by KERS Hybrid, he should be able to make good
progress off the startline tomorrow. We weren’t happy with his car this
morning, but he and his engineers worked patiently yet determinedly in
the gap between today’s sessions, and the results were
clear to see.
“Heikki
ran wide at Turn Eight when pushing hard in Q3, and lost the car and
the lap as a result, but these things happen when you’re really on it –
and, to be fair to Heikki, he’s made very few such mistakes this year.
Besides, with a carefully crafted strategy, backed up by some forceful
driving on his part, he should be able to make up some places during
the course of tomorrow’s race.
“So, in summary, having bagged a
dozen world championship points in Singapore last weekend, our
intention is to score heavily again here in Japan.”