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[Stephen]

fsdffds

[What's Burning?]

Huston, we have a problem. The board index isn't displaying.

[scotty]

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button admit they are struggling for pace at the Indian Grand Prix.

Hamilton and Button were sixth and seventh fastest in Friday's second practice and nearly a second off Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull.

Hamilton said: "The Red Bulls are just too quick; the Ferrari is very quick.

"I think we are quick enough to be third or fourth, but to beat the Red Bulls we need to change something, gain something with the downforce."

Hamilton was more competitive in the race-simulation runs when drivers run with more fuel in the car to prepare for the race, but even then he was slower than the Red Bulls of Vettel and Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso's Ferrari, who was third fastest.

Alonso, who is battling for the drivers' championship with Vettel, set the fastest high-fuel run overall, although the German did the fastest single lap in race trim.

Hamilton was 0.4 secs slower than Alonso overall and his fastest race-simulation lap was 0.4secs slower than Vettel's.

Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen set the third fastest race-simulation run.

Hamilton added: "[We're] not quick enough but we had quite a positive long run. But the times [are] looking quite good for the Lotus and even the Red Bulls. I think our race pace is not bad compared to others but qualifying not quick enough yet."

Both drivers said they were struggling to make the tyres work on low-fuel runs, although Hamilton said he thought they could solve that in time for qualifying.

"I don't think we can get to the front of the race. It's very difficult to overtake here, the Red Bulls are very hard to beat but the Ferrari, Red Bull and Lotus are very quick on long runs so position is quite important in qualifying. We have to work on that."

He added: "I'm hoping the Red Bulls were on lighter fuel but if they're not maybe we're in trouble. We have a little time maybe in fuel but not enough. We need to make some changes to try to improve and I'm sure I can make some changes to my driving style."

Button said: "If you look at it, [the long-run pace] is still 0.3secs off a Red Bull which over 60 laps is 18 seconds, so it's still quite a lot.

"There are some pretty quick cars out there over long runs. I think we're more competitive over long runs than short runs - short runs we're struggling to get the tyres working.

"It's a good circuit for overtaking but the aim is still to qualify as high as possible. It's not good and we need to work on it. I don't think we're going to claw back the qualifying pace, but race pace is possible."

[What's Burning?]

I like how Lewis says the circuit is a difficult circuit to overtake on, and Button says the complete opposite.

[Hammer278]

I like how Lewis says the circuit is a difficult circuit to overtake on, and Button says the complete opposite.

Button should know though, since he's like the best overtaker in the current field.

[racechick]

I read something where Lewis said he hoped the red bulls were running light loads or they were in trouble. button said ,we have no grip and are shedding tyres (seriously ) then Lewis said the race pace was good and the tyres were holding out. admittedly Button was talking about a quali run and Lewis a long run.

[Jabberwocky]

lol@Sky F1.

they are interviewing the driver who came second in the one in a billion competition... does that make him two in a billions!

[racechick]

How about this for a bit of gos.......... McLaren are testing 2013 parts on their car, but on Hamiltons car not Buttons!!!!! ! I guess they're desperate to leave Button to finish as high as poss this year so want him to get all the opportunity available, Hamilton is expendable. But this could come back to bite. Hamilton and Button feel things in a car very differently

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/103742

It is pretty essential that you use testing sessions to set your car up for the race. Oops McLaren just screwed Lewis.

[scotty]

How about this for a bit of gos.......... McLaren are testing 2013 parts on their car, but on Hamiltons car not Buttons!!!!! ! I guess they're desperate to leave Button to finish as high as poss this year so want him to get all the opportunity available, Hamilton is expendable. But this could come back to bite. Hamilton and Button feel things in a car very differently

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/103742" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It is pretty essential that you use testing sessions to set your car up for the race. Oops McLaren just screwed Lewis.

Uhh..

"In actual fact, being open, it was Lewis who did all the testing this morning as we alternate between drivers," Michael said.

[racechick]

Yeah but Lewis did it all

[Hammer278]

Yeah but Lewis did it all

If I were him, I'd just feed back rubbish to the team in regards to how it feels...maybe it feels like crap but he says its awesome. or vice versa, I bet he knows he's expendable anyway and this is the time when the employer would wring you out for all you're worth - during your notice period.

[scotty]

Yeah but Lewis did it all

Yeah, today, and then the next time Button...

[racechick]

Yeah but Lewis did it all

If I were him, I'd just feed back rubbish to the team in regards to how it feels...maybe it feels like crap but he says its awesome. or vice versa, I bet he knows he's expendable anyway and this is the time when the employer would wring you out for all you're worth - during your notice period.

Not sure they even told Lewis what was going on...maybe they did. Lewis just wants to go out and blitz the race, games are beyond him.

[Hammer278]

Funnily enough, another site is reporting that he didn't know about the wing. After translation:

McLaren took advantage of Friday's free practice in India to test things planned for the car in 2013. And the team did not tell Lewis Hamilton , who will join the Mercedes team next year.

McLaren sporting director, Sam Michael, told Sky Sports that new parts were installed on the MP4-27 Driver English. The team collected data on these experimental elements, but for obvious reasons, Hamilton has not been informed.

Hamilton, however, when a reporter discovered the secret of the British chain asked him to comment on the new integrated car. "We have nothing new this weekend., We just changed things that were already there," he said before learning that it was not exactly the case.

_________________________________

This is a reliable site I always use, it's just the French site gets news faster than the English site.

[racechick]

So. Yeah. I'd say they tried to screw him