Button blocked by Räikkönen accident

McLaren blows hot and cold in Melbourne at the end of qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. If Kevin Magnussen made a very promising debut by taking fourth place on the grid, his teammate Jenson Button was more unlucky since he only started from tenth position taking advantage of the penalty imposed on Valtteri Bottas after seeing his attempt fail following Kimi Räikkönen's spin.

“The rain was initially a good thing for me. My tires were in good condition for my flying lap and I was satisfied with my first time in Q2.", explains the Briton, renowned for his skill on a wet track. " There car also seemed to be performing well since I was the fastest in completing my lap and I was in the top ten until the end. Unfortunately, I was unable to set my final time with the new tires because I was slowed down by the yellow flags at turn 3. »

Disappointment is in order for the 2009 world champion who hoped to qualify at the level of his teammate who is competing in his first Grand Prix. “I think we had a good chance of qualifying towards the front in these wet conditions because our car is not as fast in the dry.”, underlines the Briton. “It was really bad luck not to be in the top ten, but I hope to be more successful tomorrow. I love this circuit and the car works well. A team (Mercedes) is above others, but we should be able to fight with others. » Éric Boullier, the new Team Principal of McLaren, also shares this opinion. “With the weather expected to be changeable again tomorrow, he will be able to use all his skills and experience to get as many points as possible. Kevin (Magnussen) is able to achieve a memorable first Grand Prix. »

The Australian Grand Prix will be contested from 7 a.m. French time and can be followed live on AUTOhebdo.fr. Photos from the weekend can be found on this link.