Canadian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - McLaren

New quotes from McLaren!

Jenson Button - "I really enjoy the Canadian Grand Prix, it's one of those races where everything just feels right. The city is fantastic, the fans are friendly, loyal to the sport and incredibly supportive, the track is intense, and the racing is usually pretty hectic. It's a place that simply produces great Formula One. It was a positive for the whole team to put some points back on the board at Monaco after a difficult few races; we're obviously still far away from where we want to be, but it's important that we maintain our aim of continuous development throughout the whole season. Although we're still a long way from the leaders, we've matched the general rate of development since the start of the season, which is a positive. In Canada, the weather can always play a key role - the forecast currently looks good, but you never know when you pull back the curtains in the morning whether you're going to be faced with blue skies, or grey clouds and pelting rain. We'll probably get a bit of both next week."

Kevin Magnussen - "The Canadian Grand Prix is one of those races I'm really looking forward to, I've always watched it on TV, and it's always looked like one of the very best, most enjoyable, and most dramatic events of the season. The track looks like a lot of fun; it's got a good blend of corners, and it's the kind of place where you want the car nicely hooked up and beneath you because, apart from the back straight, it's pretty much always changing direction. So it's a bit like Monaco in that respect, but a lot faster. It would be nice to have a straightforward weekend after a couple of disappointing technical problems. Things didn't quite go my way in Spain or Monaco - through no fault of my own - so I just want to get my head down, work with my engineers and work on delivering a good result, with no mishaps. I think it'll actually be interesting to see what we can achieve without encountering a problem that sets us back."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

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Quotes made by Drivers.

Spanish GP: Driver Preview Quotes - McLaren

More preview quotes and these ones are from McLaren!

Jenson Button - "Formula One's springtime return to Europe is always one of my favourite times of the year. The paddock is filled with familiar faces, the travel shortens, and the team motorhomes - where we'll live and work for much of the next five months - return to the scene. It always signals a bit of a fresh start to the season, and it'll be an important one for us. The Circuit de Catalunya is a demanding racetrack for any car - its combination of long, sweeping corners places the emphasis on aerodynamic performance, which is an area where we're lacking at the moment. It's always been a place where a competitive car will shine and a less-competitive one will struggle. For us, it's not simply about bringing new parts to the circuit: it's about understanding and unlocking the car's secrets, and using that understanding to take bigger steps with performance. We're still at the early stages with our car, and, for us, it's less about the components that we fit to it, and more about the bigger picture - finding a useful direction, gaining trust in our measurements and pushing ahead. We all know that this team has the capacity to develop a car through a season, so I hope and trust that we'll start to push forwards again soon."

Kevin Magnussen - "As a team, we've had a difficult couple of races, so I think we all head to Spain hopeful of better fortunes. I think the problems we encountered in China have definitely given us the data and the impetus we need to make some changes, so I'm keen to get back in the car on Friday and see if we've made a step forward. The Circuit de Catalunya is a great track, and a place I really enjoy - I won both races in the World Series there last October - and I'm looking forward to driving a Formula One car for the first time. I also think the post-race test will be useful - Barcelona is one of the most critical circuits on the calendar for aerodynamics, so we couldn't ask for a better venue at which to evaluate and refine our car."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

No copyright infringement intended.

Quotes made by Drivers. 

Sergio Perez: A look back at his year so far with McLaren.

Around this time, last year.. It was announced that Lewis Hamilton would be making his move from McLaren-Mercedes to Mercedes-Mercedes. It was also announced that the person taking his place would be the young driver from Sauber: Sergio Perez.

With the 2013 F1 season almost over, I thought it was time to take a look back at how Perez has done so far. The 23 year old from Guadalajara, Mexico, proved his talent when he scored 3 Podiums while on the Sauber team. He'd been with the team since 2011 and was already racing like a winner. Sergio expressed his excitement after finding out his McLaren news. He was eager to start racing with them and was looking forward for the 2013 season to begin. 

But things have not been easy for Perez. The McLaren MP4-28 wasn't in the shape it should've been for the start of the season. The team admitted to thinking maybe some things were wrong with the car and they knew they needed to see what they could do to fix them before the first race in Australia. 

After Winter-Testing, come March, it was time for the teams to head to Melbourne. Sergio started 15th on the grid and finished in 11th. Then in Malaysia for the Second race of the season, he both started from and finished in 9th, where he got his first points with McLaren. It overall wasn't a bad way to start the season.

The third race took place in China. He again finished in 11th. McLaren were making what changes they could, to help both Perez and Button get more points and a chance at the podium. The 4th race was in Bahrain, where during the race, Sergio Perez and his team mate, Jenson Button, got into a bit of a Wheel-To-Wheel battle, both trying to pass one another. They clipped wheels a few times, before Sergio cruised ahead to finish in 6th, gaining more points.

The two talked the situation over, later on with Team Principal, Martin Whitmarsh... With no hard feelings between the two, there was no drama brought to the 5th race, in Spain, where Perez finished in the points again, in 9th.

The next race was in Monte Carlo, Monaco. A circuit Perez was all-too-familiar with.. And not in a good way. In 2011, driving his Sauber, he missed the Chicane and his car spun and hit a barrier. He was taken to the hospital overnight, suffering from and injured thigh and a concussion. This year, he didn't have any serious accident, but did have a tough passing battle with Lotus Driver, Kimi Raikkonen. During this, Raikkonen squeezed Sergio up again the rail, during which, pieces flew off of the McLaren. A few laps later, the team told Perez he needed to retire the car because his breaks had failed, making the car unsafe to drive. Because he had completed more than 90% of the race, he still qualified as finishing in 16th.

After the race, Kimi took to the press to say that Perez had ruined his race and that maybe he should be "Punched in the face." - But, Perez felt no need to make any comment back towards Kimi, but instead publicly explained the whole situation in a very professional manner.

In the next race, which was held in Canada, Perez finished in 11th. The race after that was hectic. Silverstone, during a practice Session, Perez had a tyre explode into pieces. Pirelli looked into it and assured everyone that the tyres were safe and that there was no need for concern or stress. But during the race, Sergio and more than 3 others all had tyres explode during the race. Some went on to finish the race, but for Perez, it was over. They retired his car, due to the explosion causing other damage to the front of the McLaren. He still finished over 90%% of the race again and was qualified as finishing in 20th.

Happy to get back to finishing in the points, he recieved more after placing 8th in the German GP, then again in Hungary, finishing 9th, giving him a double consecutive points finish. Things were looking pretty good again. Perez was eager to come back even stronger after the Summer Break. The race that started off the Second-Half of the season took place in Belgium. He ended up finishing just behind the points, in 11th. Then in Italy, he paced in 12th. It was disappointing for him after he'd finished on the Podium there last year.

Come Singapore, Perez was back in the points after crossing the Finish Line in 8th. And then he kept up his pace in Korea, finishing in 10th and just nabbing that last Championship Point.

In the latest race, which was in Japan, Perez was holding 5th/6th pretty much during the whole race. Unluckily, Nico Rosberg made contact with the McLaren and Sergios tyes exploded. He ended up finishing 15th. 

With 4 races to go, he still has a good chance of getting more points and a possible podium finish. 

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

Oh, Monaco: The battle of Perez and Raikkonen!

Yesterday's Grand Prix took place in the beautiful Monte Carlo, Monaco. As always, it was entertaining and nothing less than spectacular. But, every Grand Prix comes with some drama... And this one was a doozey.
 
During the final laps, Sergio Perez had quite a battle with Kimi Raikkonen, and the two collided when Kimi edged Sergio into a wall. Kimi's car hit the McLaren, and pieces flew off of the Lotus. Kimi was furious during the race, calling Perez an "Idiot" over the team radio. After that, Perez was ordered by the McLaren team to retire, due to Brake Failure.
 
Kimi was only more angry after the race, when he ended up in 10th place. In an interview, Kimi bluntly said that Perez needed "To be punched in the face." In response to a question asking if the Lotus team would have a sit down with the McLaren driver. Kimi Raikkonen has taken it too far, making it sound like a physical threat towards Sergio.
 
Sergio is at no illegal fault for trying to pass Kimi during the race, and was not given an order to slow down, or not pass Kimi. He was only doing what he was supposed to be doing: Racing. Formula1 is a dangerous sport, and accidents happen. Kimi needs to calm down, and re-think what happened, for he is the one who shoved Perez into the wall. Perez is NOT responsible for the accident.
 
Earlier on in the race, Perez made an incredible pass on team mate, Jenson Button, and Button praised him afterwards, for doing so. The two seem to be getting along very well since Perez's joining of the McLaren team/family this season.
 
So, great job to Sergio and Jenson. McLaren is getting stronger!

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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