McLaren unconcerned by intra-team rivalry

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By Jonathan Noble Tuesday, April 10th 2007, 03:28 GMT


McLaren say they are not concerned by the possibility of friction developing between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in the fight for more victories this year.

And team boss Ron Dennis has made it clear that all McLaren are thinking about is beating their opposition.

"The competition is those cars in front of us," said Dennis, whose team took their first victory for more than a year in Malaysia last weekend.

"We don't worry about each other. We just concentrate on beating anybody that sits in front of us on the grid or on the race circuit."

Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug has also urged onlookers not to get too excited with Hamilton's form in his first two races - and remember that the Briton is going up against one of the best drivers in the world.

"We should not get carried away with his second race," said Haug. "He is doing a fantastic job and he knows he is driving against the most complete racing driver in F1.

"I think it is a great achievement so far what he has done. But we will do it step by step, and of course we will push the car further.

"I think it is remarkable if a guy like Fernando still says we can improve the car and improve himself. This is team play and I think it is very, very positive for us."

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Haug: Sepang 1-2 confirms title potential

By Michele Lostia and Matt Beer Tuesday, April 10th 2007, 10:13 GMT


Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug says that McLaren's Malaysian Grand Prix one-two confirms that the team will be contenders for the 2007 world championship.

"Mercedes is always expected to be at the front," he was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"This is our ambition too, and there are chances to win the world title now.

"This is what we work day and night for. It's what we'll keep on doing - without big proclamations, in order to take the Silver Arrows to the top in the end."

Haug admitted that he had not expected McLaren-Mercedes to get back on terms with Ferrari so soon after the Italian team's dominant Australian Grand Prix victory.

Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton passed the Ferraris at the first corner at Sepang, and were able to stay ahead to the end despite Ferrari still appearing to have a slight speed advantage.

"I'm surprised myself by how quickly we've recovered the gap we had from Ferrari," said Haug.

"But Sepang has really been a dream weekend for us. A class performance.

"Alonso confirmed to be the most complete driver in F1, and a debut like Lewis Hamilton's is the stuff dreams are made of. It was a world class performance the way both overtook the Ferraris at the start."

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Alonso eyeing second successive win

By Pablo Elizalde Wednesday, April 11th 2007, 12:40 GMT


Fernando Alonso is eyeing his second win in a row in Bahrain this weekend following his dominant display at the Malaysian Grand Prix last Sunday.

The world champion scored his first win with McLaren at Sepang to move to the top of the championship standings, also ending McLaren's victory drought. The British squad had not won since the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix.

And although Alonso still reckons rivals Ferrari are ahead in terms of race pace, the Spaniard is targeting another win this weekend.

"There is a good feeling in the team at the moment and we all want to be out there racing and fighting for wins and points, but we also know that we need to find more speed and everyone is working hard on this," said Alonso in a team preview.

"I won the Bahrain Grand Prix last year, and would like to try and repeat that result this weekend. We had a positive test here before the start of the season, we learned a lot about the MP4-22 and the Bridgestone Potenzas.

"The car has developed a lot since then, and it will be interesting to see how it performs at the Bahrain International Circuit with these upgrades."

Alonso's teammate Lewis Hamilton, who has enjoyed a dream start to life in Formula One thanks to two podium finishes in two races, admits he wasn't expecting to have such a good debut, and he is hoping to continue with it in Bahrain.

"To have started my debut season in Formula One with two podium positions is more than I could ever have expected," said Hamilton.

"With the team I will keep pushing hard to develop and continue to fight for more results like these. However I am aware this is a dream start to the season in what is a difficult sport.

"Bahrain, like Malaysia, will be another demanding race and I will have new experiences and challenges. I am really looking forward to it though."