Hamilton: I am committed to McLaren

Lewis Hamilton took the bold step of seeking out team principal Martin Whitmarsh to underline his commitment to McLaren

With the start of the new season looming large with Sunday's Australian Grand Prix, recent speculation has focused on Hamilton's future with the team.

The suggestion has been that a third successive year without the World title, following his initial success in 2008, could prompt Hamilton to seek pastures new.

That would be despite the fact he has another season remaining on his £10million-per-year contract with McLaren.

Hamilton, though, insists he has no intention of going anywhere, nor is he attempting to engineer a move away from McLaren, a team that has overseen his career since he was 13.

"I've spoken to Martin today because I wanted to reassure him that I am here at McLaren, that I am committed to the team, committed to winning," said Hamilton.

"This is where my heart and mind are. I'm not thinking about going elsewhere, I don't have my people (his new management team) going elsewhere and doing any other talking.

"I try and put myself in other people's positions, to understand how they would feel. I think that's important.

"I can imagine how I would feel if I heard stories that they were looking for another driver to replace me, it would be upsetting and distracting, and I kind of assume that may have been the case.

"So I wanted to make sure I put that right, and why I spoke with Martin."

Hamilton, though, has not ruled out the possibility of one day in the distant future changing teams, but not before he has played his part in helping McLaren rediscover the winning Championship habit.

"Of course, I'm going to be in Formula One for some time, and you never know which way the wind will take you," added Hamilton.

"As I said, for now, I'm committed to trying to make this team the most successful it can be, and I feel we can do that."

Whitmarsh was naturally grateful to Hamilton for being upfront and honest, although felt the 26-year-old had no need to do so.

Whitmarsh said: "Lewis did come to see me today, not that it was necessary.

"It wasn't something I was going to raise with him, but it was nonetheless still nice for him to want to clarify his passion and restate his commitment to being in the team."

Dismissing the stories, Whitmarsh is convinced McLaren will again present Hamilton with the kind of opportunities that will ensure his head will not be turned.

"You glance through the headlines and you see lots of things, but you don't spend too much time dwelling on them," added Whitmarsh.

"He knows we will have highs and lows in any season, but he also knows this team is committed to winning.

"We're a great team, we enjoy working together. There are always plenty of challenges in this sport, and that's what we are here for.

"Obviously he has grown up with this team, we have had some great times together, and I'm sure we're going to have some great times together in the future as well.

"Lewis has grown and developed in self-assurance and his manner in the years I've known him, and has a genuine affection for the team and the people in it.

"It's great he is comfortable, enjoys the environment and working with the people in this organisation."

Source: Planet-F1

Whitmarsh: Button's form no surprise

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh says he always expected Jenson Button to produce the kind of superb form that has seen him leading the world championship just four races into his relationship with the Woking team.

Contrary to the widespread pre-season assumption that Button would be hard-pressed to get on terms with incumbent team-mate Lewis Hamilton at McLaren, the reigning champion has out-qualified his young stablemate at the last three grands prix, and his wins in Australia and China have given him a 10-point championship lead.

But Whitmarsh said he always thought Button's combination of speed, experience and determined would lead to spectacular results for McLaren.

"I don't think it's a surprise - I think Jenson has done a fantastic job with the team," said Whitmarsh.

"He's a mature world champion, he's got a lot of experience, he's had a lot of tough times in his career and he's clearly learnt from it.

"How he has conducted himself in the team, how he works with Lewis, how he operates out on the track is fantastic."

Although Button's wet weather skill played a part in both his McLaren wins so far, Whitmarsh dismissed any suggestion that the triumphs were lucky ones.

"Here we are four races in, and he's won two of them," said Whitmarsh.

"No one who's watched those races could say anything other than that he thoroughly deserved to win them.

"They were 'driver wins' - races where the driver had to make the difference, and he did make the difference."

He added that both Hamilton and Button deserved huge credit for McLaren's success so far this season, as the team has not yet been an outright pace-setter and is thought to trail the Red Bull slightly - especially in qualifying trim.

"To come away leading the championship after four races when not everything's gone right shows we've got two great racing drivers and a strong team," Whitmarsh said.

"It's testament to the team and the drivers.

"In China in qualifying I think we had the second fastest car, I think we were still slower than Red Bull but we underperformed in qualifying and didn't make it easy for ourselves.

"We don't always get it right, but we make decisions and we get on with it.

"We've got two drivers who are great racers and they've made a massive contribution."

Source: ITV.com

Australian GP: McLaren preview

Jenson Button

"I have some extremely pleasant memories of racing in Australia. As with most drivers on the grid, Albert Park was my first introduction to Formula 1, and I really enjoyed my debut, running as high as fourth before retiring. I was on pole in 2006, although I had another non-finish. Of course, last year was a fairytale race for me -- I took pole and victory, which was one of the most satisfying and emotional moments of my career.

"Looking ahead to this year, I think we head to the Albert Park circuit feeling more confident of our overall pace. It's quite a contrast to Bahrain: no tight, low-speed sections and plenty of faster corners. We think the track configuration should suit our package.

"We learnt some very useful lessons about MP4-25 in the opening race, and the whole team is keen to put them into practice this weekend."

Lewis Hamilton

"I've always enjoyed Albert Park. I had a great race here on my Formula 1 debut in 2007, won the race a year later and made full use of KERS to drive through the field there last year. But, for me, the best things about the Australian Grand Prix are the people and the atmosphere. The fans in the grandstands, the people in the city and the organisation at the track are all fantastic, and it is one of the most welcoming and relaxing events of the year. I really love it.

"I had a great race in Bahrain: despite losing time in the opening stint, I pushed like crazy for the whole race and I'm pleased that we've got some decent points on the board.

"I'm looking forward to Melbourne. I like the circuit, I think we'll go well there and I don't think we'll have the same problems that slowed our progress in Bahrain."

Martin Whitmarsh
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

"Coming just a fortnight after the opening race in Bahrain, there's been only minimal time to add developments to the MP4-25. But we've got a number of smaller components that we expect to add to the car ahead of the race.

"We've had the chance to reflect upon it, and I believe that our start to the season has been mostly encouraging. Our race pace in Bahrain looked respectable -- we had the fastest car for much of the second half of the race -- and I think we now have a clearer idea of how to set the car up over a grand prix weekend.

"Of course, we're under no illusions that the opposition will be tough -- and we expect a fantastic battle in Melbourne this weekend.

"The Australian Grand Prix organisers put on a fantastic event and it's an event I always look forward to with huge enthusiasm. I hope that we can put on a great show for everyone."

Source: Motorsport

McLaren: 2010 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

It's been a busy winter... but at last the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship is almost under way.

Testing has been busy but, as ever, a little inconclusive -- simply because although all the teams have been working as hard as possible to get their cars to go as fast as is humanly possible in the time available, none of us really knows exactly how successful our rivals have been in that same endeavour.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is no different. We're reasonably satisfied with what we've achieved so far, but we know better than to be complacent and we never under-estimate our rivals.

Bahrain will be hot, as ever. But it's a fantastic facility and a great circuit, and there's every reason to expect it to host a great season-opening grand prix.

As ever, we'll be doing our very best to put on a decent show in front of our Bahraini partners and friends.

Jenson Button

"I'm really looking forward to getting into my car on Friday morning in Bahrain and knowing that I'm the world champion. It's a responsibility and an honour -- but it's something I'm going to enjoy for as long as I can. I don't want to lose that number from my car! My winter has been an incredible learning experience -- joining Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has provided me with exactly the sort of challenge I needed. I have put every effort into working with the team, my engineers and learning about my car to ensure that we start the season in Bahrain in the best possible shape.

"Even after four weeks of testing, it's incredibly difficult to predict the order ahead of the new season. There are a number of teams and drivers who appear to be in the hunt, and, as with the start of every new season, it will be fascinating to see who emerges as the team to beat. I've never known a team work as hard as we have done over the winter -- I've spent more time with my engineers this winter than I have before any other season, and I feel very comfortable about my preparations."

Lewis Hamilton

"I can't believe the winter's over already -- it seems like only yesterday when I was racing in Abu Dhabi. It's been a winter of two halves for me: before Christmas, I really focused on my fitness and training, working away to be as ready as possible for the new season. Since January, I've been fully focused on working with the team, testing the car and improving our package ahead of the opening race of the year.

"There's been a huge workload, but it's been fantastic to work with Jenson and the engineers to improve MP4-25, and we're all extremely pleased with the progress we've made and the direction we've taken. I think we have a very promising car beneath us: it's a real change of direction for us, and I think the possibilities with this car are very exciting. Now, though, it's all about the racing -- once I put my crash helmet on and pull the visor down, I know more than anything that I'm ready to go racing."

Martin Whitmarsh
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

"I can't remember the start of a Formula 1 season where there's been so much interest, excitement and anticipation. The closeness of the winter tests, our double-champion line-up, the return of a Formula 1 legend and the presence of four world champions on the grid mean that 2010 is already shaping up to be a classic season. From our side, we've been engaged in one of the most painstakingly diligent pre-season programmes that we've ever undertaken. We've amassed an enormous amount of data and we've learnt a considerable amount about MP4-25 in just four brief tests. We've been encouraged by our progress, we've been delighted with the input of both Jenson and Lewis and, finally, we feel ready.

"Make no mistake: we're a team of racers. We've been waiting impatiently for the first race to arrive for many months. We feel we've risen to the challenge and we can't wait to get started -- Bahrain is a demanding track for both the team and the drivers and we're looking forward enormously to racing in the home of one of our primary shareholders. It promises to be a fantastic grand prix."

Source: McLaren.com