McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh is confident that his outfit has resolved the many issues which have cost them valuable championship points so far this season.
Both Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have lost points through no fault of their own following a raft of mistakes, particularly during pit stops.
“I’m confident that the issues we’ve had so far have been dealt with and are in the past,” Whitmarsh said during a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in.
“I’m mindful that with the pressure of trying to win in Formula 1, there are always things, new things, that can come and bite you, so we have to be vigilant, careful and cautious.”
Whitmarsh isn’t making any promises that no more mistakes will be made, due to the high pressure nature of the sport, but he is confident those seen already won’t be repeated.
“I don’t think we should ever be complacent and say we’ve solved everything and therefore I am super confident nothing will happen again this year. I think that will be foolish. I think we’ve made a range of changes within the team to deal with some issues that we’ve seen.”
Whitmarsh went on to praise Hamilton following a severe penalty in Spain – in which he lost his pole position for carrying too little fuel.
“He should come away with one, the feeling that he has a car that is capable of being on pole, and two, that he has the speed and capability to be on pole – and he has been on the front row in every race, and his driving is showing greater levels of maturity, control and discipline than perhaps we’ve seen before.
“So I think it was a fantastic drive, and I think neither he, nor I, nor anyone else believe that he has lost his winning way. He is eight points away from the lead of a drivers’ world championship that is wide open and he must consider himself as a very strong candidate to win in Monaco, many more races and to win this year’s world championship.”
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