Formula 1
Abu Dhabi GP: McLaren qualifying report
LEWIS HAMILTON MP4-25A-04 P3 programme 3rd 1m41.280s (+0.584s) 13 laps Qualifying Q1 4th 1m40.335s (on Primes) Q2 5th 1m40.119s (on Options) Q3 2nd 1m39.394s (on Options) "I'm absolutely delighted -- this is my best ...
Edited: Nov 14, 2010, 1:53 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-25A-04
P3 programme 3rd 1m41.280s (+0.584s) 13 laps
Qualifying
Q1 4th 1m40.335s (on Primes)
Q2 5th 1m40.119s (on Options)
Q3 2nd 1m39.394s (on Options)
"I'm absolutely delighted -- this is my best qualifying performance since Spa, and I pushed as hard as I could and got everything and more out of the car. To be just three-hundredths off the fastest Red Bull is extremely good news for the team.
"We've worked incredibly hard all year, but we couldn't quite catch them up quickly enough. Even so, to be right behind the one on pole -- and have both Ferraris behind -- is a great achievement.
"On the grid tomorrow, I don't have to worry about who's around me -- they all have to worry about who's around them! I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. It's the other drivers who'll have to worry; I don't have to be cautious at all in the race. Perhaps they need to think about that...
"Both Jenson and I qualified well today, so this is good news for us in the battle for second place in the constructors' world championship. I'd love for us to finish one-two tomorrow -- that would be a real high for the whole team.
"I'm not focusing on winning the drivers' title; I'm just focusing on winning this race."
JENSON BUTTON
MP4-25A-01
P3 programme 5h 1m41.578s (+0.882s) 17 laps
Qualifying
Q1 6th 1m40.877s (on Primes)
Q2 2nd 1m40.014s (on Options)
Q3 4th 1m39.823s (on Options)
"We've been tweaking the car all weekend, and we made a big leap from where we were yesterday, so I'm happy with the way things improved.
"Qualifying was also very good. I'd been struggling with a major brake vibration issue during Q1, but it got better through Q2 and Q3. The vibration didn't help my front locking issues, but at least they were better than I'd had in the past couple of races.
"I made a mistake and ran wide on my last lap, so it's a little disappointing to be starting fourth because I could have been even higher, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow's race. All the cars appear to be reasonably close, so it should be a good battle.
"My aim is to get as many points as I can tomorrow -- we want to secure second place in the constructors' world championship, and that'll be our aim for tomorrow."
MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
"Both Lewis and Jenson drove superbly in qualifying today, and will line up second and fourth on tomorrow's grid as a result.
"In fact Lewis missed out on bagging pole position by just three-hundredths of a second -- and inevitably you're always just a smidgen disappointed when it's as close as that at the front.
"Nevertheless, his goal tomorrow will be a unilateral one: to score 25 world championship points.
"He's well placed to do just that -- and, as ever, he'll be pushing just as hard as he knows how. He'll have a competitive race car tomorrow, and in our view he'll be in decent shape to deliver the win we need.
"Jenson, too, is well placed to score heavily, and thereby consolidate Vodafone McLaren Mercedes's second place in the constructors' world championship.
"So I reckon tomorrow has all the ingredients to be one of the most thrilling days in the history of Formula 1, and I'm sure that trackside spectators and TV viewers alike will be on the edges of their seats during what promises to be a truly dramatic sporting occasion."
-source: mclaren
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Abu Dhabi GP: Lotus qualifying report
Next article Abu Dhabi GP: Red Bull Friday report
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Ferrari
Robert Kubica announces exit from AF Corse’s privateer Hypercar in WEC
WEC
WEC
Monza
6 h
Robert Kubica announces exit from AF Corse’s privateer Hypercar in WEC
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
7 h
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Latest news
Kyle Larson, Cliff Daniels and the Hendrick 5 are who we say they are
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
32 min
Kyle Larson, Cliff Daniels and the Hendrick 5 are who we say they are
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
4 h
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
5 h
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
5 h
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
Feature
Discover prime content
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Formula 1
By Pat Symonds
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe