Mclaren on Top
McLAREN
Hamilton 145 pts – P1
Button 133 pts – P2
Constructors’ Position – P1
Wins: 4
Podiums: 6
On top in both championships largely thanks to great consistency, averaging 27 points per race from a maximum of 43. Both drivers have only had one non-points scoring event.
Even in his championship year, Hamilton was making mistakes and dropping points, this year he seems not to be doing so. He has had plenty of run ins with the stewards, so he is sailing close to the wind, but he’s getting the results. Button has had two great wins, but hasn’t matched Hamilton’s raw pace in qualifying, as a rule. He has recovered well from some tight scrapes in races and has an impressive points haul to show for it. Monaco radiator bungs aside, he’s scored at every race.
McLaren didn’t have the fastest car at the start of the season and arguably haven’t yet had a car advantage at any circuit, except possibly Montreal. They have nonetheless taken all the chances they’ve had to win races and score big points.
There were some team mistakes early in the season, like the complacency in qualifying at Malaysia Sepang 2010. McLaren’s development however has been predictably strong. They invented the F Duct, designed the car around it and have improved it. But they showed how complex the blown diffuser is to get right last weekend. Martin Whitmarsh has confirmed that it will appear again at Hockenheim and once it’s working it will put them close to Red Bull.
Once they have all the major “toys” optimised on the cars, it will be a case of developing the aerodynamics and continuing to play to their strengths, which are generally in race conditions.
Although they have worked hard on qualifying, they are still some way behind Red Bull, but on race pace they are invariably much closer, if not faster on occasions.
The upcoming tracks should be good for McLaren, especially Monza. It will come down more to racking up the points and delivering on the car’s potential every week than anything else. If McLaren have a second half of the season like the first, they will win both titles.
