Formula One news
McLaren struggles on first day at Barcelona
25 April 2008 / Results / PhotosMcLaren Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen finished today's second practice session in 11th and 16th places respectively. Lewis set a time of 1:22.685 whilst Heikki did 1:23.264. Lewis completed 33 laps and Heikki did eight. During the break between the sessions, the team changed the gearbox on Kovalainen's car following a problem with the oil pump. In the second session, Kovalainen stopped on the track, when a problem with the throttle control caused the engine safety system to activate.
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"We struggled with the balance of the car throughout both sessions today," said Hamilton. "There was too much oversteer and we tried a lot of different things to improve but didn't make the progress we wanted. We will look at the information overnight, and I am confident we will find the improvements needed. As is often the case we ran with heavy race fuel loads throughout the long runs in both sessions so the times don't really mean that much. Tomorrow is when it counts and I am looking forward to getting some more running under my belt."
Kovalainen commented, "A disappointing day for me unfortunately. I managed to do a bit of running in the first session, but the time was cut short when a problem developed with the gear box oil pump and the guys had to change the gearbox between sessions. Then in the second practice all of a sudden I lost all power when the engine switched off and was told to pull over, and that was the end of that. We will have a good look at the car overnight to understand what caused the problem in the second session and then start a new day tomorrow. There is still time left and a lot can happen."
Team boss Martin Whitmarsh added, "An unsatisfactory start to Heikki's Spanish Grand Prix weekend. Following the gearbox oil pump failure in the first session we lost some time as we had to change the rear of the car. Then in his second run in the second session the systems lost control of the engine throttle and the safety system activated and stopped the engine. The engine did come back to life but we stopped as a precaution. We will now establish what caused this problem as there are a number of theories at the moment. Lewis suffered from oversteer throughout, and we will look at all the data overnight to find a solution. As is normal on a Friday both drivers ran with heavy fuel loads on the long runs, but there is no doubt that our competition looks strong."
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