Whitmarsh: Hamilton is unlucky

Lewis Hamilton made people talk about him again in Suzuka. The pilot McLaren clashed with Felipe Massa again during the race after suffering a puncture in the opening laps while in second place ahead of teammate Jenson Button. The pilot Ferrari complained again about the aggressive driving of the Briton but Martin Whitmarsh once again came to defend his protégé.

The McLaren director is impatiently awaiting the return of the 2008 world champion to the forefront so that he can regain his confidence. “He must feel comfortable, that will come because he is a magnificent driver”, insists Martin Whitmarsh. “He doesn't like to lose but victory will come again. I hope to celebrate one of his greatest successes next weekend. We all know he has the ability. He just has to stay focused on what he's doing. »

Martin Whitmarsh does not blame Lewis Hamilton for his collision with Felipe Massa, even though the Briton's race had already become complicated with his puncture. “You might think these two are magnetized”, jokes the director of the English team. “Lewis did not see it, although this fact resembles these previous accidents. Massa had more space than Jenson (Button) had at the start. Hamilton paid the price for his slow puncture, he had a significant imbalance on his rear axle. It cost him a few places and his fight with Felipe didn't help anything. »

Find the analysis of our special correspondents with 26 pages on the Japanese Grand Prix, including 10 devoted to the new world champion, in the next issue of AUTOhebdo, on sale from Wednesday.