Button struggles during qualifying
McLaren has struggled during qualifying for the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix, with Jenson Button failing to make into the top ten.
This is the third time Button has failed to make it into Q3 this season, having qualified 14th for the British Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth, but was almost two seconds slower than pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel.
Talking to the BBC, Button said, “In the morning the car was well balanced but in the afternoon, I just didn’t have the grip.”
“We are on the clean side of the track. We can hopefully fight from there.”
Lewis Hamilton and Button have publicly criticised the McLaren’s pace in qualifying. Hamilton said: “We are massively down. It’s about scoring what points we can and hoping those ahead have trouble.”
Earlier this week Ron Dennis commented on the team’s qualifying pace:
“No question, we don’t have an optimised car for qualifying. But we do have a very good race car.
“And in the end we’ve won races and we’re leading both world championships, and both of our drivers are first and second.
“So I find it slightly infuriating, and I’ve voiced my opinion, when my guys get out of the cars and say, ‘I wish I was on the front row’ and build in the media the perception that we are giving them cars that are less capable of winning races.”
Ron Dennis
McLaren has won the last three races at the Hungaroring.
2010 Hungarian Grand Prix
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- From the stands: Nikolai Vogler watches two races in one week
- Ecclestone asks Hungarian President "Was your crown made in China?"
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- How F1 can make pit stops safer
- 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix - the complete F1 Fanatic race weekend review
- A move too far: Schumacher forces stewards to take a stand
- Who was the best driver of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend?
- Red Bull mark 100th F1 start with win (Hungarian Grand Prix facts and stats)
- Red Bull fly to victory but FIA set to clip their wings (Red Bull race review)
Raymond said on 1st August 2010, 6:40
Actually, the diffuser needs to go period. It’s so big that it stops working when the car rides high, and that’s forcing them to spring the thing stiff so the ride height doesn’t change much, and that just eliminates all of their mechanical grip advantages.
andy said on 1st August 2010, 10:46
What i find amazing mclaren have one of the biggest budgets in f1 if not THE biggest,looking at what brawn did last year on no money,serious questions have to be asked about this car.