More needed from ‘imperfect’ McLaren

McLAREN need “to iron out imperfections” if they are to be crowned Formula One world champions this season, the team’s chief executive officer said yesterday.

Following a famous victory in the British Grand Prix 10 days ago, Lewis Hamilton is now in a three-way tie at the top of the drivers’ standings along with Ferrari duo Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa.

And while McLaren may only be third in the constructors’ table, 24 points adrift of Ferrari and 10 behind BMW Sauber, the team believe they are firmly in the hunt.

At the halfway point of the season, and ahead of Sunday’s German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh knows another level must be found if they are to avoid disappointment again.

“While we remain encouraged by the pace we’ve recently shown and the victories we’ve achieved, there’s a feeling we could still be doing more to consistently score strongly,” said Whitmarsh.

“Several opportunities for victory, most notably in Istanbul and Montreal, have slipped through our fingers.

“We’ve suffered a few penalties, which we took squarely on the chin, and through no fault of his own, Heikki (Kovalainen) has finished out of the points on several occasions.

“That was either due to us being unable to provide him with a suitable car, or through circumstances that were largely beyond his control.

“So as we head into the second half of the season, our primary objective must be to work harder to iron out these imperfections.

“We must also provide our drivers with race-winning machinery at every opportunity and to sharpen our focus on the world titles, both of which are still achievable for us.

“I think Heikki’s pole position and Lewis’ win in the British Grand Prix were good for our momentum. The atmosphere at our headquarters in Woking on Monday morning was incredibly upbeat and positive.

“That’s because we all know we’re strongly back in the hunt for the world championship – and we’re not going to easily let go of that.”

Yet Whitmarsh concedes he is unable to ascertain how strong McLaren are at the present time compared to Ferrari and BMW Sauber due to a number of variable circumstances of late.

“I know the fans would love to see a straight fight between ourselves and our rivals,” added Whitmarsh.

“But fate, and the weather, has conspired against that happening in the four most recent races in Monaco, Montreal, Magny-Cours and Silverstone.

“That means we can still only estimate where we sit in terms of overall performance.

“We’re confident we’ll be competitive in Hockenheim, but one of the beauties of Formula One is you just can’t tell until the red lights go out on Sunday afternoon.”