Formula 1
New McLaren a second too slow - Hamilton
By Motorsport.com/GMM
Edited: Mar 17, 2011, 6:24 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
McLaren's 2011 car is at least a second off the pace, according to Lewis Hamilton.
After ending the final Barcelona test as the fourteenth fastest driver overall, the 2008 world champion insisted to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport that the MP4-26 is not really two seconds slower than the pacesetters.
Let's keep our fingers crossed that the guys come up with something.
Lewis Hamilton
"We are not two seconds from the top, even though I never made it out of the 1.22s," said the Briton.
"But in the long runs, the laptimes are okay," added Hamilton.
Asked what he thinks he would have managed in full qualifying trim, he answered: "Low 1.22."
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren Mercedes
Photo by: xpb.cc
The best time overall in Barcelona was Michael Schumacher's 1.21.2, so a low 1.22 would have placed the McLaren behind Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, Sauber, Renault and perhaps even Williams and Toro Rosso.
Auto Motor und Sport said the MP4-26's main problems are the exhaust and "deformation" of the front wing.
"Let's keep our fingers crossed that the guys come up with something," said Hamilton.
The report said the enlarged nose device run on the car last week contained a motor that moved the arms to simulate different wing deformations under load.
Meanwhile, McLaren reverted to what Auto Motor und Sport describes as a "very conventional" exhaust solution last week, following problems with other layouts.
The report referred to F1's banning of the use of an incombustible material called Pyrosic for the entire exhausts, on the grounds that such a solution would have cost EUR 20,000 per car.
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 Ecclestone to push for less teams in new F1 deal
Next article Overtaking wing system not confusing - Whiting
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Lewis Hamilton
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Why Ferrari caved in to Lewis Hamilton’s failed Singapore F1 gamble
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Why Ferrari caved in to Lewis Hamilton’s failed Singapore F1 gamble
More from
Ferrari
The figures that show Mercedes has lost its supremacy in F1 2026
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
17 h
The figures that show Mercedes has lost its supremacy in F1 2026
Ferrari promotes F2 racer to F1 reserve driver role
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Ferrari promotes F2 racer to F1 reserve driver role
Latest news
NASCAR explains why they penalized Zane Smith after latest clash with Carson Hocevar
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
11 h
NASCAR explains why they penalized Zane Smith after latest clash with Carson Hocevar
Porsche boss Laudenbach says he is "not happy" with how things were handled by IMSA in 2026
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 12 h
Porsche boss Laudenbach says he is "not happy" with how things were handled by IMSA in 2026
Five things to watch out for at the F1 United States GP
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
12 h
Five things to watch out for at the F1 United States GP
KTM sees MotoGP 2027 as a fresh start: “We never had the chance to build a new bike”
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP 13 h
KTM sees MotoGP 2027 as a fresh start: “We never had the chance to build a new bike”
Feature
Discover prime content
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