While Hamilton can feel hard done by, McLaren’s mistake was horrendous and is
bound to lead to renewed speculation regarding Hamilton’s future.
The 27 year-old is in the final year of his five-year contract and there was
much speculation last season that he might seek a move away from the team
who recruited him as a 13-year-old.
Red Bull’s Mark Webber, Mercedes’ Michael Schumacher and Ferrari’s Felipe
Massa are all in the final year of their contracts as well, increasing the
potential for a big transfer.
The speculation had died down this year with McLaren having built a
front-running car, but Hamilton’s strong performances have not translated
into race wins, often through no fault of his own.
Earlier, when asked to comment on the possibility of starting further back, he
said: “I’ll give it my all, and we’ll give it our all, and I hope with our
improved pit stops as well we can make steps forward.
“Overtaking here is very tough, as we’ve seen in previous years, but we have
the DRS so I would hope we can overtake.”
The dramatic denouement to the day was entirely in keeping with what had taken
place earlier. Say what you like about this new era Formula One, but there
is rarely a dull moment.
While the debate continued to rage over the impact that Pirelli’s tyres are
having on the spectacle, the sport served up yet another extraordinary
qualifying session.
Hamilton’s
misfortune was, rather incredibly, Williams’s gain. Pastor Maldonado,
dismissed by some as a ‘pay driver’ — his place in the team having been
secured courtesy of a reported £29.4 million this year alone from Venezuelan
oil company PDVSA — will start from pole after most of the likely suspects
suffered some kind of problem.
“I expected quite a bit from qualifying today, so I don’t really understand
what went wrong. The speed is in the car though, as Lewis showed.”
Hamilton said in a statement.
“We were quickest on the soft tyre yesterday, and I thought we’d be reasonably
competitive today too – but that wasn’t the case, and we don’t really know
why. I just struggled with a very different balance from yesterday.
“I had oversteer all through qualifying, then, on my final run – when we
actually added more front wing – I had understeer!
He added: “It’s not a perfect day when you qualify in P11 [P10 after Lewis’s
penalty] but I hope we can work out this evening what’s happening with the
balance for the race tomorrow.
“I guess you’d just have to describe today as a difficult day at the office.”
Hamilton’s team-mate Jenson Button did not even make the final shoot-out for
the 10 quickest drivers, complaining of understeer and imbalance balance in
his car.
Webber left it too late to set a time in Q2. The importance of preserving
fresh rubber this year is such that double world champion Sebastian Vettel
did not even bother to set a time in Q3. Neither did Michael Schumacher.
Still, it was a great moment for Williams, who have fallen on such hard times
recently. Michael has just moved from Williams to McLaren.
Sir Frank Williams, honoured by his team with a surprise 70th birthday party
last night, was clearly thrilled, as was 27-year-old Maldonado.
“It’s a great moment for the team and for me,” he said. “And it’s the best
present ever for Frank Williams. I hope to have a great race tomorrow. I’ll
do my best – we’ll see.”
McLaren were not feeling quite so chipper. The team may have been regretting
the timing of the launch party for their glossy new book.
The title? The Art of Racing. Oh, the irony.
A season of errors for McLaren
Australia: In the season-opening grand prix, in which Lewis Hamilton
started from pole, he was not released at the right time at a pit stop and
eventually finished third.
Malaysia: A week later, and again after claiming pole, there were
issues at pit stops involving Hamilton’s rear-left and front-right tyres.
Again he finished third.
China: After qualifying second, Hamilton received a five-place grid
penalty as his car required a new gearbox. For the third consecutive race he
eventually finished third.
Bahrain: In a grand prix controversial for off-field reasons Hamilton
had issues with his left-rear tyre at two separate pit stops, resulting in
him finishing eighth and losing his lead of the championship.