Lewis Hamilton (6th): “It’s been an interesting day. We’ve just been focusing on our package and trying to optimise what we have. And the car was the best I’ve ever driven around here – it felt really great through the corners.
“But, even so, we’re losing quite a bit of time in the middle sector, and a couple of tenths in the first and third sectors, too. And then, as you start to push harder, in order to close the gap to the guys in front, the car begins to feel like it’s a little bit on the ragged edge.
“I think we’re pretty much getting the best out of the package we have – we’re dialing-in the set-up pretty effectively – but there’s still maybe a few tenths to come. So we know we’ve got a lot of work to do: this weekend is really about scoring as many points as we can, and hoping the guys ahead run into trouble.
“It’s going to be tough, but we’ve got to take the rough with the smooth and stay focused. And we’ll do that, no doubt about it. As always, of course, I’ll be pushing as hard as I can.”
Jenson Button (9th): “I’m reasonably happy with the car today. It didn’t feel too great on the Option tyre, but the balance was good on the Prime. However, we’re a little bit behind the Red Bulls and the Ferraris.
“It’s probably therefore going to be a tricky weekend for us. There are still areas where we can improve, which is positive, but we’re unlikely to close the gap completely here in Hungary. Hopefully, though, we’ll see an improvement tomorrow, and that will move us closer.
“Still, we need to be doing the best job we can with the equipment we have, and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing. I know all the guys back at the McLaren Technology Centre are working flat-out to keep improving this car, and I’ve got absolute belief in them.
Martin Whitmarsh – Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: “Today’s programme was organised a little differently from our regular Friday sessions, as we undertook some shorter evaluative runs during P1 this morning.
“While we’re encouraged by both drivers’ feedback, and by the overall balance of the car, the pace of the front-runners was somewhat unexpected.
“Nevertheless, we’ve amassed plenty of useful data, and we’re armed with a lot of information. As usual, we’ll be working hard tonight in preparation for tomorrow’s qualifying session, and we’re confident of being able to make further improvements to our car.
“In a championship battle as tight as this year’s, the crucial thing is to concentrate on having an error-free weekend and maintain strong consistency – even when faced with challenging circumstances. So that will be our aim for the remainder of this weekend. As ever, it’s going to be a question of discipline, hard work and good racecraft, and that’s what we’ll be aiming to deliver.”
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