Trouble may be brewing in Germany for McLaren-Mercedes. After Alonso’s win at Sepang, many German fans were expecting to hear the German national anthem played for the winning constructor and were surprised to hear the British anthem ‘God Save the Queen’ instead.
McLaren are based in the UK, however Mercedes-Benz have a 40% share in the team, making it the largest shareholder. German newspapers have claimed that the MP4-22 is ‘their’ car and that the German national anthem should be played. Former German Formula 1 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck stated, “It is difficult to understand. The heart of the silver arrows is in Germany.”
However Mercedes’ Norbert Haug reacted to the controvesy saying, “I can understand the feeling of the German fans. But we are an international team and the really important thing is that we win, not what is heard on the podium.”
