Martin Whitmarsh has heaped praise on drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button for their qualifying efforts in Australia on Saturday, with the pair able to secure their first full front-row start as team-mates. Hailing a 'great car' and 'two fantastic drivers', the Team Principal is hopeful that an equally strong race result can be achieved.
"We have looked pretty tidy all weekend but tomorrow is the one that counts," Whitmarsh told Sky Sports F1.
"It is obviously pretty important to have a front row here for us, but both drivers did a fantastic job for us. It’s tight, there are a few surprises up there. But we have a great race car and two fantastic race drivers. Jenson struggled a bit with the tyres, but he nailed it at the end."
Prior to this afternoon, McLaren's last one-two qualifying finish came at the Valencia Street Circuit in 2009, with Hamilton leading then team-mate Heikki Kovalainen.
Further post-qualifying feelings from McLaren:
- 'Hamilton had the upper hand' - Button
- Hamilton 'massively proud' of McLaren
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  L. Hamilton | McLaren | 01:24.922 | 14 |
| 2. | J. Button | McLaren | 01:25.074 | 15 |
| 3. | R. Grosjean | Lotus | 01:25.302 | 21 |
| 4. | M. Schumacher | Mercedes | 01:25.336 | 18 |
| 5. | M. Webber | Red Bull | 01:25.651 | 17 |
| 6. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 01:25.668 | 18 |
| 7. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 01:25.686 | 16 |
| 8. | P. Maldonado | Williams | 01:25.908 | 20 |
| 9. | N. Hulkenberg | Force India | 01:26.451 | 18 |
| 10. | D. Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | no time | 16 |
| Full results | ||||
| Jenson Button | |||
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| More Jenson Button photos | |||
| Martin Whitmarsh | |||
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| More Martin Whitmarsh photos | |||
| Lewis Hamilton | |||
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| More Lewis Hamilton photos | |||
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