Formula One news

Whitmarsh: Race winning starts on Friday

Martin Whitmarsh is confident that car updates at McLaren can help the British outfit achieve a second straight Grand Prix victory in Valencia this weekend. The team principal, who took over from Ron Dennis at the start of 2009, stresses that the Woking squad will be aiming for victory from Friday's first practice session.

As Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line to win the Hungarian Grand Prix three weeks ago, the World Champion ended a winning draught for both himself and the team which stretched back to October of last year.

Whitmarsh hopes to wear McLaren's traditionally coloured victory shirt again on Sunday

"While the summer break has meant we have four weeks to enjoy Lewis' victory in Budapest, it's very important that we are able to maintain that winning momentum into this weekend's race," Whitmarsh commented. "Fortunately, we have made a structured effort to bring further improvements to the car in Spain and the whole team has been buoyed by that win and is really looking forward to another strong set of results this weekend. I've no doubts that we'll certainly hit the ground running on Friday."

The European Grand Prix will also be an important one on the corporate side for McLaren, as Whitmarsh explained: "The Grand Prix also marks the 250th race of our team partnership with Mercedes-Benz. It is pleasing to have reached this important milestone off the back of a win and we are all focused on continuing this form in Valencia."

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