“We’ll put our all into the race“

Hungaroring, Saturday July 25

Despite showing promise throughout every practice session, both drivers struggled through no fault of their own when it really mattered in qualifying this afternoon.

Jenson spoke of a lack of ERS deployment along the main straight as he began his final lap in Q1. That lost him around four tenths of lap-time, and resulted in his failing to graduate to Q2 by just a tenth.

It wasn’t an ERS issue; it was a steering switch software data issue that hindered the deployment of MGU-K out on the track. The cause of the problem is already understood and has been rectified.

Fernando finished 14th in Q1, but was unable to post a time in Q2 after coasting to a halt, his car suffering an electrical shutdown owing to a loose harness connection that provides power to the car. He was unable to return to the track and will start the race from 15th position on the grid.

FERNANDO ALONSO, MP4-30-01

“This afternoon was a pity, because it’s been a good weekend for the team so far: we’d made some useful performance steps, and had regularly been in the top 10 in the sessions, so the problems we had in qualifying were extremely unfortunate. 

“Jenson had a problem in Q1, and then my car just switched itself off in Q2. Unfortunately, we’re not allowed to continue in qualifying if the car doesn’t make it back to the pits under its own power, so that was that.

“Qualifying wasn’t the right time to have these problems, but hopefully we can learn from them for the future.”

JENSON BUTTON, MP4-30-04

“I didn’t get any electrical deployment down the main straight as I started my final lap in Q1. The engineers tell me that’s worth about four-tenths – and that just isn’t possible to make up around the rest of the lap. It was unlucky, but it is what it is. 

“It was a shame too, because I really enjoyed driving the car today. The morning session was a bit tough, but the car immediately felt good this afternoon. The balance was good and we thought we’d easily get through into Q2. We’re not quick enough yet, but at least we have a good balance.

“Let’s hope tomorrow is a better day. I love driving around this place – it’s a great old circuit – and we’ll have a close look at what hand we can play tomorrow. But, even so, it’ll be a tough race, because you can’t overtake around here.”

ERIC BOULLIER – Racing director, McLaren-Honda

“Here in blistering Budapest, as we approach the midsummer shutdown, we’d been hoping to be able to leaven our first-half-of-the-season melancholy with some discernible improvement.

“The fact is, we have improved, but I guess the key word is ‘discernible’, because a series of glitches and gremlins continues to conspire to prevent that improvement from translating into the ameliorated grid positions and race performances that we feel are within our compass.

“Today, in Q2, Fernando suffered an electrical shutdown triggered by a loose harness connection, shortly after Jenson’s fastest Q1 lap had been stymied by a steering switch software data issue.

“Nonetheless, tomorrow is another day – and, despite the fact that the Hungaroring is a notoriously inexpedient circuit on which to overtake, both Fernando and Jenson will be doing their level best to do just that, and thereby move forward through the field.”

YASUHISA ARAI – Honda R&D senior managing officer – chief officer of motorsport

“It was a very disappointing result in qualifying.

“After a promising Friday, and this morning’s FP3 results, we were hoping for more this afternoon. 

“The team has worked incredibly hard, but unexpected circumstances denied us a better result today, which is really tough on both Fernando and Jenson.

“Jenson’s car had a steering switch software data issue, and the MGU-K assist was hindered out on the track. His flying lap suffered and he couldn’t make it out of Q1.

“Fernando’s car suffered an electrical shutdown due to a loose harness connection that provides power to the car, ending his chances in Q2. His efforts to push the car back to the pit-lane and to the team were an act of great professionalism – he deserves deep respect for that.

“Thankfully, we were able to check his car immediately after qualifying, where it was confirmed that the disconnection hadn’t affected any other part of the power unit for tomorrow’s race.

“We know that our car setting and power unit setting are working well for the track, so tomorrow we’ll put our all into the race.” 

“We could be in reasonable shape tomorrow”

Hungaroring, Friday 24 July

Despite a number of red flag stoppages in both FP1 and FP2, Fernando and Jenson ran through their programmes without problems today, ending the day feeling happy enough with the set-up of their cars.

Neither car encountered any technical issues, and we will go into Saturday’s sessions feeling positive that we can maintain the momentum we developed today.

FERNANDO ALONSO, MP4-30-01

“We see on Fridays that some teams don’t show their full potential, and are more competitive on Saturday. Neither Force India ran this afternoon, so I think it’s realistic to expect that there’ll be a few more cars ahead of us tomorrow. Nevertheless, I’m pretty happy with the performance of the car – it gets better every weekend.

“It’s been a trouble-free day – we had no issues on either car – but now we need to focus mainly on the race. Our long-run pace looks okay, but qualifying will be important too because overtaking around here is so difficult.

“I’d like to hope that, if we finish the race, we can hopefully score some points.”

JENSON BUTTON, MP4-30-04

“I enjoyed the car today – it was fun to drive – and the last time if felt like this was in Monaco, so that’s a promising way to start the grand prix weekend. Hopefully, we can have a reasonable time here – it’s tough with these high temperatures, but every team has to deal with that.

“Our high-fuel runs were reasonably positive today, so I think we’ve got a good foundation beneath us. The balance is giving me confidence: we know we can make it faster too, so, with a few little set-up tweaks, I think we could be in reasonable shape tomorrow.

“Overall, I think the team is in a good place – we’ve had a tough few races recently, but we’ve stuck together, and we’ve stayed strong.”

ERIC BOULLIER – Racing director, McLaren-Honda

“Today’s practice sessions were far from the jejune affairs we’ve seen recently; the drivers and engineers had to contend with a number of red flag stoppages, which, coming so close to the end of each session, had quite an impact on our scheduled run programmes today.

“Nonetheless, we made progress throughout the day, and it stoutens the spirit to end a practice session hearing both drivers proclaim that their cars are well balanced and inspire confidence. Of course, it’s still too early to get an accurate read on our performance relative to that of our rivals – not least because neither Force India driver set representative times this afternoon – but we’ve made a positive start to our weekend, and we’ll be looking to capitalise on that on both Saturday and Sunday.”

YASUHISA ARAI – Honda R&D senior managing officer – chief officer of motorsport

“By running both FP1 and FP2 sessions smoothly, we were able to establish a precise energy management strategy suited to the track. In fact, our pre-race data simulation had been right on track.

“During FP1, the temperature and conditions were similar to Sunday’s forecast for the race, so we used the session to work on power unit set-up. FP2 in the afternoon was held under intense heat, but the ERS settings were not at all affected by the temperatures, so we were able to do a qualifying simulation.

“All in all, it was a good day for us.”

The end of July has always signalled that it’s time for the German GP, and I must say I find it very sad that a country with such a great motor sporting tradition does not have a race this year. Of course one could say the same of France, long since lost to the F1 schedule.

However in the case of Germany it makes even less sense given that Mercedes is the dominant force in F1 at the moment, and that Nico Rosberg is a genuine contender. Throw in Sebastian Vettel in a Ferrari – and as the man most likely to take advantage should the silver cars hit trouble – and you would think that it wouldn’t be too hard to sell grandstand tickets.

The good news is that the FIA World Motor Sport Council has agreed a 2016 calendar that includes the German GP once more. While no venue has officially been listed, the race will be run at Hockenheim, which is logical given that this year was supposed to be the turn of the Nurburgring. Whether there’s any chance that F1 will one day return to the Eifel mountains remains to be seen. Equally it’s not yet clear whether Hockenheim will be in a position to return to hosting the race on an annual basis.

One subject that appeared to have dropped off the radar at the recent F1 Strategy Group and World Motor Sport Council meetings is that of customer or “franchise” teams, following the controversy that surrounded the discussions at the earlier May Strategy Group meeting. The idea is that the sport prepares for the possibility of struggling teams hitting financial problems and the entry list shrinking, although cynics might think that some of the major players are actually quite eager to have extra representation on the grid.

For me the debate has brought back memories of the days when some leading teams entered third cars from time to time. Often they just made up the numbers. However, in 1973 McLaren ran an occasional third car that was frequently in the thick of the action.

Everyone remembers the impact that rookie Jody Scheckter made that season on his outings in the third McLaren – literally at Silverstone when he triggered the multiple crash at the end of the first lap! The South African also had a controversial collision with Emerson Fittipaldi in France, but in qualifying second at Paul Ricard and third in both South Africa and Canada young Jody showed his pace, and it was a great argument for the role of a third car as a proving ground for new talent.

However, in Germany that year the extra McLaren was also loaned out to an established star of the era who was in effect on a sabbatical from a rival outfit. It proved to be one of the most unusual examples of in-season car hopping that the sport has ever seen.

Jacky Ickx had first shot to stardom when he joined Ferrari in 1968. He scored a brilliant wet win at Rouen, and took pole at the Nurburgring. In 1969 he replaced Jochen Rindt at Brabham, where a certain Ron Dennis was a mechanic. That year he won from pole in both Germany and Canada, and finished second in the World Championship.

He moved back to Ferrari in 1970, where four poles and two wins saw him runner-up to posthumous title winner Jochen Rindt. He continued to be a frontrunner for the next two seasons, winning in Holland in 1971 and Germany the following year, while also adding six more poles to his impressive CV. He was without a doubt one of the stars of the era.

However in 1973 the Ferrari proved hopelessly uncompetitive, to the extent that the team took time out in the middle of the year to regroup, withdrawing after a frustrated Ickx finished a lowly eighth at Silverstone.

Thus Jacky was suddenly available, and had time on his hands. He desperately wanted to drive at the Nurburgring, where he was a proven ace, and had won twice. Aware that McLaren had occasionally fielded a third car for Jody Scheckter, he simply phoned up team boss Teddy Mayer and asked if he could drive it. No managers or agents in those days, of course…

“I badly needed to restore my confidence in my abilities,” the Belgian recalled. “At this time there were two McLarens for Denis Hulme and Peter Revson, plus one spare. So I knew they had a third car, and not every team did at that time. The major problem was to find out if it was to the agreement of both drivers to have me join the team for the Nurburgring. It was not an easy decision, because they didn’t really want to see me there, for obvious reasons!”

Mayer could see that having a superstar in the third car could be a boost for the team, and thus agreement was soon reached. Come the race weekend Ickx was quickly into the groove with the unfamiliar M23, which had won in both Sweden (with Hulme) and Britain (Revson).

Alas a blown engine and then rain thwarted a potential shot at pole on the Saturday. Nevertheless in qualifying fourth he set a lap time more than six seconds quicker than both Hulme and Revson. That must have given dear old Teddy Mayer some food for thought!

The race itself turned into a demonstration run for Tyrrell as Jackie Stewart and Francois Cevert disappeared out front. Second qualifier Ronnie Peterson retired on the first lap, so Ickx settled into third place and stayed there for the duration, frustrated at being unable to challenge the dark blue cars up ahead.

“We had to choose between hard tyres and soft tyres, and McLaren made the choice for me to run hard tyres, and then Tyrrell finished one and two. I think in the race I could have done much better if, like the Tyrrells, I had the soft tyres on. And that’s the story of McLaren. I just spent a weekend there. I came to the Nurburgring on Thursday, I left on Monday!”

Indeed it was to prove to be a short flirtation, rather than a marriage. Ickx missed Austria, and then returned to Ferrari for another disappointing outing at Monza, which proved to be the end of his relationship with the Maranello team.

He didn’t take part in Canada, but then Frank Williams invited him to try his Iso in the last race at Watkins Glen. Ickx thus managed to drive for McLaren, Ferrari and Williams in consecutive races in the same season – somehow I don’t think we’ll ever see that happen again! Unless we revisit that old suggestion about drivers moving to a different team for every race in order to establish who really is the best…

McLaren Racing and Johnnie Walker will celebrate their 10 year partnership at this weekend’s 2015 Formula 1 Pirelli Magyar Nagydij Grand Prix.

To mark this iconic milestone, McLaren Honda drivers Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso will be wearing special edition Johnnie Walker golden boots – inspired by the brand’s celebration blend, Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve™ and its ‘Keep Walking’ philosophy which encourages progress in every step.

The successful 10 year partnership has brought together two iconic brands which share a rich heritage and motorsport history.

Ron Dennis, McLaren Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said:

“Everyone at McLaren is proud to be celebrating 10 years of a long and successful partnership with Johnnie Walker. We “Keep Walking” together to provide a powerful global platform with which to promote the important responsible drinking campaign, including boosting global fan engagement with the ‘Join the Pact’ never drink and drive initiative.”

Adrienne Gammie, Johnnie Walker Global Marketing Manager Sponsorship, said:

“McLaren Honda and its drivers have been fantastic ambassadors for the Johnnie Walker never drink and drive campaign Join the Pact over the past 10 years. Along with Mika Hakkinen, Global Responsible Drinking Ambassador for Johnnie Walker, we have collected over 2.4 million commitments to never drink and drive and provided 1.2 million kilometres of safe rides home around the world. Today, I’m asking all race fans watching the race in Hungary to make their personnel commitment to never drink and drive by using #JOINTHEPACT.”

As part of the celebrations, McLaren Honda and Johnnie Walker will be giving consumers the chance to win a limited number of pairs of Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso signed golden boots on McLaren’s social media channels:

Twitter: @McLarenF1 @JohnnieWalker_
Facebook: http://ift.tt/1Iis1Kh
Instagram: @McLaren

McLaren and Johnnie Walker will celebrate our ten year partnership at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

In celebration of the anniversary, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso will be wearing special edition Johnnie Walker #GoldenBoots inspired by and celebrating Johnnie Walker’s Gold Label Reserve.

For a chance to win a pair of boots signed by either Jenson or Fernando, tell us your greatest McLaren moment over the last ten years, starting from the 2005 season opener in Australia.

See the terms and conditions below for details on how to enter.

#GoldenBoots Competition Terms and Conditions

1. The prize is open to all fans of the official McLaren Honda Facebook page (http://ift.tt/1cWqYji) and Google+ page (http://ift.tt/1dF3Lza) and entries via Twitter (https://twitter.com/McLarenF1) and Instagram (http://ift.tt/1FRgPyl) aged 18 and over (except employees and families of the Promoter and its affiliate companies, agencies and anyone professionally connected with the promotion).
2. To enter tell us your greatest McLaren moment over the last ten years, from any Formula 1 race between the Australian Grand Prix in 2005 until the date of the competition 22^nd July 2015.
3. The competition opens at 09:45 BST on Wednesday 22^nd July 2015. All entries must be submitted by 23:59 BST on Sunday 26^th July 2015. One winner will be selected at random on Monday 27th July.
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Promoter: McLaren Marketing Ltd, McLaren Technology Centre, Chertsey Road, Woking, Surrey GU21 4YH, UK