Formula One news
McLaren with work to do
27 March 2009 / Results / PhotosThe McLaren team admits that it still has work to do in order to be on the pace this weekend, despite making gradual progress with the setup of its cars. With adjustments needing to be made before going into qualifying tomorrow, Kovalainen and Hamilton rounded off Friday in a lowly 17th and 18th positions.
The Woking-based team focussed on aerodynamic and mechanical work as well as the performace of the two Bridgestone tyre compounds over the course of longer runs. "The track was very green and slippery," Heikki Kovalainen told the team. "Our balance was good, particularly in the high-speed corner and our KERS worked well throughout both sessions."
The Finn knows there is still work to do, but is positive about the team's prospects for 2009: "A reasonale first day, even if the times didn't reflect that," he reported. "The differential between the two tyre compounds didn't appear to be too marked, and both help up well over the long stints." Despite the lowly results in the second session, however, Heikki did set the fifth fastest time in the first.
In the other car, World Champion Lewis Hamilton was frustrated as his MP4-24's floor continually hit the ground on the bumps of Albert Park, resulting in a lack of clear visibility. "The first session didn't prove too productive for us," Lewis admitted. "The changed made after P1 made the car feel much better, but we're still working to refine the balance as we have a number of issues still to address - we're heading in the right direction."
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