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[Fact Man]

Hamilton: New McLaren a 'let-down'
Lewis Hamilton talked down his Formula One title chances, describing the new McLaren as a let-down that was still some way off being a winner.
- 0
Related Links

* De La Rosa to test for McLaren
* Hispania sign Liuzzi for 2011

The 2008 world champion made clear that McLaren had missed a trick and were playing catch-up, with time running out before the start of the season.

"Do I believe I have a car to win the world championship at the moment? I don't. No." the 26-year-old Briton said after a difficult day in the car at the final pre-season test in Barcelona.

"We should definitely have been able to have continued from '08 and won another championship in the last two years, but we haven't.

"Looking at how the car has developed over the winter and seeing how it has come out, I was really, really excited getting into it thinking we really had hit the nail on the head," he added.

"But we've missed that nail a little bit, although it's not like we don't have any other opportunities to get it right."

McLaren finished runners-up to champions Red Bull last year but had hoped to close the gap significantly with their new car.

Instead, they have been off the pace and struggling with reliability at the tests in Spain.

Hamilton was only fourth fastest on Wednesday, with his best lap more than a second slower than Red Bull's champion Sebastian Vettel.

More worryingly, he did just 57 laps to Vettel's 112. Toro Rosso's Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi, who was second quickest, did 120 laps.

"It has been a tough day in the sense that we've not done enough miles," said Hamilton, whose team last won a constructors' title in 1998.

"I came here hoping to do more laps, to get in a good 100-odd laps, to get in a race distance. Usually at this time of the year this is when we come with pit stops and one or two race distances a day, but we were nowhere near even completing one."

The car suffered hydraulics problems and an exhaust failure on Wednesday. One positive, Hamilton said, was that some of the upgrades tried out seemed to be an improvement.

However, the Briton now has just one day of testing remaining, with team mate Jenson Button in the car for the other day, before the start lights go out for the opening race in Australia on March 27.

"In terms of how long the car can go in terms of reliability and our true pace, that's an unknown factor for us because in the time we have had we've not been able to maximise things," Hamilton said.

"That's no-one's fault, just issues you have in testing, and this is testing, this is what it's all about, finding where your weaknesses are so you can build on them and fix them.

"We've been focusing on those, but we definitely have several issues that are not as easy to rectify as we had hoped."

The driver refused to write off his championship altogether, saying the Mercedes-powered team could close the gap and turn the car into a true contender.

"As long as we pick up a good few points in the first few races, then we won't be miles behind," he said.

"Say for example we were able to be in the top five for the first three or four races, get those points, and then if we happen to have a car capable of winning, then it would still be possible.

"So I'm definitely not shutting the year off. Everything is still to play for....I'm never one to give up. I'm not going to sit here and say the championship is over blah, blah, blah.

"I'm ready, and when the car is ready I will be at the front and I will win races," he said. "But whether that will happen, we'll see."

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/09032011/ ... laren.html
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Hamilton is giving up on this season even before the 1st race.
Maybe he should just keep his mouth shut and work "harder."
Can you imagine if Button said something similar or even ...

[F1er]

.I'm never one to give up.

Hamilton is giving up on this season even before the 1st race.
Maybe he should just keep his mouth shut and work "harder."

I call on your statement

[Robert12010]

Hamilton: New McLaren a 'let-down'
Lewis Hamilton talked down his Formula One title chances, describing the new McLaren as a let-down that was still some way off being a winner.
- 0
Related Links

* De La Rosa to test for McLaren
* Hispania sign Liuzzi for 2011

The 2008 world champion made clear that McLaren had missed a trick and were playing catch-up, with time running out before the start of the season.

"Do I believe I have a car to win the world championship at the moment? I don't. No." the 26-year-old Briton said after a difficult day in the car at the final pre-season test in Barcelona.

"We should definitely have been able to have continued from '08 and won another championship in the last two years, but we haven't.

"Looking at how the car has developed over the winter and seeing how it has come out, I was really, really excited getting into it thinking we really had hit the nail on the head," he added.

"But we've missed that nail a little bit, although it's not like we don't have any other opportunities to get it right."

McLaren finished runners-up to champions Red Bull last year but had hoped to close the gap significantly with their new car.

Instead, they have been off the pace and struggling with reliability at the tests in Spain.

Hamilton was only fourth fastest on Wednesday, with his best lap more than a second slower than Red Bull's champion Sebastian Vettel.

More worryingly, he did just 57 laps to Vettel's 112. Toro Rosso's Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi, who was second quickest, did 120 laps.

"It has been a tough day in the sense that we've not done enough miles," said Hamilton, whose team last won a constructors' title in 1998.

"I came here hoping to do more laps, to get in a good 100-odd laps, to get in a race distance. Usually at this time of the year this is when we come with pit stops and one or two race distances a day, but we were nowhere near even completing one."

The car suffered hydraulics problems and an exhaust failure on Wednesday. One positive, Hamilton said, was that some of the upgrades tried out seemed to be an improvement.

However, the Briton now has just one day of testing remaining, with team mate Jenson Button in the car for the other day, before the start lights go out for the opening race in Australia on March 27.

"In terms of how long the car can go in terms of reliability and our true pace, that's an unknown factor for us because in the time we have had we've not been able to maximise things," Hamilton said.

"That's no-one's fault, just issues you have in testing, and this is testing, this is what it's all about, finding where your weaknesses are so you can build on them and fix them.

"We've been focusing on those, but we definitely have several issues that are not as easy to rectify as we had hoped."

The driver refused to write off his championship altogether, saying the Mercedes-powered team could close the gap and turn the car into a true contender.

"As long as we pick up a good few points in the first few races, then we won't be miles behind," he said.

"Say for example we were able to be in the top five for the first three or four races, get those points, and then if we happen to have a car capable of winning, then it would still be possible.

"So I'm definitely not shutting the year off. Everything is still to play for....I'm never one to give up. I'm not going to sit here and say the championship is over blah, blah, blah.

"I'm ready, and when the car is ready I will be at the front and I will win races," he said. "But whether that will happen, we'll see."

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/09032011/ ... laren.html
=======================================

Hamilton is giving up on this season even before the 1st race.
Maybe he should just keep his mouth shut and work "harder."
Can you imagine if Button said something similar or even ...

what else is he meant to say? and keep his mouth shut? whats he meant to do not talk to the media, work harder?, ah seriously go and get a grip mate. and even jenson has said the same thing

[F1er]

Seems like "factman" got his facts wrong

[Hammer278]

Seems like "factman" got his facts wrong

[bud]

.I'm never one to give up.

Hamilton is giving up on this season even before the 1st race.
Maybe he should just keep his mouth shut and work "harder."

I call on your statement

Factman is a troll Alonso lamb with selective reading. I would just put him on the ignore list if I were you.

[Hammer278]

Ahh yeh...just noticed his fingerprint. One of those guys who gets chest pains when someone mentions the 4 number combination 2-0-0-7?

[killem2]

Thanks for pointing that out about the OP, was a really anti mclaren post and now I understand why.

[texasmr2]

Its nice too see Lewis be so upfront and candid about the issues the team is experiencing, he has always been like that imho which is very refreshing so good on him .

[FRAFPDD]

Its nice too see Lewis be so upfront and candid about the issues the team is experiencing, he has always been like that imho which is very refreshing so good on him .

Funnily enough i disagree.

I feel himself and Button have done nothing but moan so far, how much better would it be for themselves, their team, and their fans if they focused on the positives there are, like the car isnt right down at the bottom with HRT, or that it has potential, its all, car doesnt feel good etc etc, just get on with fixing it then and give us all some reassurance instead of constantly telling us its a pick up truck.

[Jensonb]

Its nice too see Lewis be so upfront and candid about the issues the team is experiencing, he has always been like that imho which is very refreshing so good on him .

Funnily enough i disagree.

I feel himself and Button have done nothing but moan so far, how much better would it be for themselves, their team, and their fans if they focused on the positives there are, like the car isnt right down at the bottom with HRT, or that it has potential, its all, car doesnt feel good etc etc, just get on with fixing it then and give us all some reassurance instead of constantly telling us its a pick up truck.

Having sat through seasons of teams with mediocre cars having their drivers claim the cars were great, I can tell you that's actually a much worse idea than it sounds.

[FRAFPDD]

Its nice too see Lewis be so upfront and candid about the issues the team is experiencing, he has always been like that imho which is very refreshing so good on him .

Funnily enough i disagree.

I feel himself and Button have done nothing but moan so far, how much better would it be for themselves, their team, and their fans if they focused on the positives there are, like the car isnt right down at the bottom with HRT, or that it has potential, its all, car doesnt feel good etc etc, just get on with fixing it then and give us all some reassurance instead of constantly telling us its a pick up truck.

Having sat through seasons of teams with mediocre cars having their drivers claim the cars were great, I can tell you that's actually a much worse idea than it sounds.

Lol i feel your pain i honestly do. But they dont need to say its great, just decent, and that they are pretty confident they can challenge for the title. Which i think will be the actual case, just not immediately. Youd think a gunmen had just stormed Woking on a killing spree the way they act.

[Jensonb]

Its nice too see Lewis be so upfront and candid about the issues the team is experiencing, he has always been like that imho which is very refreshing so good on him .

Funnily enough i disagree.

I feel himself and Button have done nothing but moan so far, how much better would it be for themselves, their team, and their fans if they focused on the positives there are, like the car isnt right down at the bottom with HRT, or that it has potential, its all, car doesnt feel good etc etc, just get on with fixing it then and give us all some reassurance instead of constantly telling us its a pick up truck.

Having sat through seasons of teams with mediocre cars having their drivers claim the cars were great, I can tell you that's actually a much worse idea than it sounds.

Lol i feel your pain i honestly do. But they dont need to say its great, just decent, and that they are pretty confident they can challenge for the title. Which i think will be the actual case, just not immediately. Youd think a gunmen had just stormed Woking on a killing spree the way they act.

I get what you're saying. I dunno though, I think their actual comments are being spun by the media to make it sound worse than it is. Basically what they've been saying is it needs work, and the media are reporting it as "we're nowhere" because a "McLaren Meltdown" narrative is going to earn them more clicks/sales than a "McLaren slightly worse of than they hoped" narrative.

It's a variant of the sad-but-true adage about the less correct, but simpler, version of events always being the one the public buys into.

[EagleF1-27]

I dont know, but its always risky having a radically designed car like this years McLaren is. Especially when it is late into testing when it is finally released. Cant help but seeing this car reminding me of the Ferrari F92A with its double decker floor design. That turned out to be a disaster of a car. Hope the McLaren doesnt go the same way.
Anyone else noticed the sidepod intakes look almost exactly like the airbox intakes on the old McLaren M23, just rotated 90 degrees!

[myownalias]

Part of it maybe media spin but Lewis does tend to make these kind of comments on a regular basis (which we have seen come out of his mouth first hand live on TV); I agree with FRAFPDD; Lewis has moaned a lot so far and not a wheel has been turned in anger yet. "The car has some issues but we are working towards resolving them." - that's all that needs to be said; not writing off the whole season before the season has started. These drivers are very highly paid; I expect better from them instead of throwing his hands up!