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[scotty]

Ask Raikkonen how much physical fitness really matters after a certain point

[vlad]

You mean "bad luck" Raikkonen?

[scotty]

You mean "bad luck" Raikkonen?

I mean 'i am always drunk as hell and always look like a wreck after the race but i still win' Raikkonen

[racechick]

That approach doesn't work for everyone. And maybe if he wasn't drunk and did train more he'd be a triple world champion you have to cover all bases when hundredths of a second mean so much. It makes sense to have the guys as fit as possible. can't fault McLaren on that one.

[bud]

Ask Raikkonen how much physical fitness really matters after a certain point

Kimi was extremely fit in the first part of his career. He liked to party but he still worked out.

[Hammer278]

Paddy Lowe

The 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix marks the end of a long a successful McLaren career for Lewis Hamilton, at least for the forseeable future.

Often dubbed as the team's 'favourite son', Hamilton was signed up by Ron Dennis as an 11-year-old boy. One drivers' championship and 21 race victories later and Hamilton brings down the curtain on the McLaren chapter of his career at Interlagos.

McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe has worked with Hamilton since his F1 debut in 2007 and says Hamilton will be sorely missed.

"Of course we're going to miss Lewis a great deal," said Lowe during a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in. "He's a fantastic driver and a fantastic guy. We're been through a lot of history together. Personally I've only worked with him since 2007 but that's bee six years of fantastic racing and great successes and some tough times as well. But we'll all miss him as he's the most fantastic driver.

"We wish him the best for the future and we will look forward after Brazil to next year. Things change in the world, that's how life is but we look forward to a great season next year when Sergio [Perez] arrives and there's great promise there."

After Hamilton's superb victory at the inaugural US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, Lowe says there is every chance that McLaren can get both drivers on the first two steps of the podium and end the season on a high.

"We're optimistic. There's no reason why we can't carry forward the pace we showed at the weekend in Austin into Brazil. There's promise of rain, which will of course add a new element but we'll be pushing very hard to win the race, not just with Lewis as Jenson is equally capable of winning in Brazil and we're going there to get two guys on the podium and hopefully on the top two steps."

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Pretty honest assessment eh, "he's the most fantastic driver"...I mean you can't top that. The team knows they're definitely weakened by his departure, there's hope for them yet.

[racechick]

McLaren are out to get a one/two this weekend, to get second in the constructors, it's worth about 10 mil.

[Jabberwocky]

Martin might as well of chanted fatty, fatty, Perez,

[CookinFlat6]

Fridays FIA press conference - Brazil

Question to the Team Bosses;
BBC's Kravitz

Just a quick word on what makes a good team boss

Saubers Kaltenborg

I don't think there are any hard and fast rules about that. I think we are all measured at the end of the day by performance and if you are good, if you are performing well then you must be a good team boss.

AMGs Brawn

I think you're measured on your results. One of the things that is very demonstrable in Formula One is the results in the team and there's no hiding place.

RBRs Horner

I don't think there's any hard and fast rules. I guess the role of team principal in different teams represents different things even, and I think that fundamentally it's a people business and it's a question, a matter of what your background is, what your education is. It's a matter of getting the best out of people, encouraging people and removing obstacles where necessary and sharing one vision, one goal, one objective and that needs to flow through an organisation from the top to the bottom, throughout an entire tea

and Mclarens Whtimarsh?

A thick skin!
I think a lot has been said about the team, and I think all of the Formula One teams are really great teams of people that work incredibly hard, whichever end of the grid you're at, everyone's working very hard. I think to be a good team member, to recognise it, just one part of the team's important but everything else has been said already.

[LewEngBridewell]

Great result for McLaren in quali today

Hopefully the team can take this pace into next season.

[Hammer278]

McLaren won't suffer repeat of tyre woes in 2013 - Button

Jenson Button is confident Pirelli's 2013 tyres will not cause him the same kind of problems as the 2012 ones did this year.

Button won the first and final races of the season this year, but struggled to keep the tyres in their working range midway through the season. He scored just seven points in the six races between Bahrain and Great Britain as he struggled to find a working setup and his championship chances were derailed as a result.

However, after testing Pirelli's 2013 development tyre during practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix, Button is confident he won't suffer a repeat next season.

"One thing that's very different with the tyre is how it works with warm-up," he said. "That's something we've struggled with and a lot of the teams have struggled with this year - actually getting the tyre into its working range. I think some teams have been there or above the working range, but it's difficult to stay in the working range."

Talking about the 2013 tyres he said: "This tyre, I think, has got a much wider working range and that's going to make it much easier to get the tyre working from the start of the season. We've had to change our car a lot to get it working on the 2012 tyres when normally you'd be working on development.

"So it has hurt us quite a bit year and I don't think that will be the case next year after doing one run on them. You get a feeling that it's back to the tyres of old and they're also directional, which is difference from the previous Pirelli tyres. It feels like it's working well. I think we're going to get high degradation, but I think we'll get the tyre working very quickly."

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So...maybe the cat is out of the bag in regards to how McLaren's management focused on this season. When did McLaren "struggle so badly with switching on tyres" again? Oh yeah, Canada...when this **** was lapped by the winning car...which was ALSO a McLaren! And right after that, they struggled for pace in the next 3-4 races. Things add up nicely now.

[Jabberwocky]

[What's Burning?]

With everything available on google images you couldn't come up with a picture of a real horse?

[LRW]

With everything available on google images you couldn't come up with a picture of a real horse?

This any better......?

[What's Burning?]

That will do since a black horse would have been better suited to the Ferrari thread. Good work, we may make a moderator out of you still.