16/07/2012
NEWS STORY
Mat Coch writes:
Former world champion Alain Prost believes McLaren must understand how to get the best out of this season's Pirelli tyres if it is to claw back the ground it has lost to rivals Red Bull and Ferrari. Prost, a three-time champion with McLaren but now an ambassador for Renault, is the latest to join a chorus of concern over the Woking outfit's apparent dip in form.
Criticism of McLaren has been scathing since the European Grand Prix, just one race after Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian round of the world championship. While both Hamilton and teammate Jenson Button have tasted victory in 2012 McLaren has been more inconsistent that its nearest rivals.
"It looks like McLaren has lost some ground for different reasons, and obviously it looks like they do not understand what is happening with the new tyres, which is not good news," Prost told RIA Novosti at the opening of Moscow Raceway in Russia.
"I really thought that from the beginning of the year they would be the favourite because they started quite well, but they lost ground and it's very difficult to understand. If they don't come back immediately, from Hockenheim, the next race, I think it's going to be difficult. In front, Red Bull and Ferrari are very motivated and it's going to be tough."
However, it seems early however to be rolling out terms such as crisis. While Hamilton slipped backwards as the European Grand Prix drew on he had been running competitively at the front end of the pack. He was also coming off the back of victory in Canada, suggesting that the underlying pace of the McLaren remains.
McLaren was on the defensive at Silverstone where the local crowd favourites were confronted by a hungry press contingent sniffing blood.
"I'm not desperate, but I am worried," team boss Martin Whitmarsh admitted.
"It's tough, but we've been through all sorts of highs and lows as a team, and we're resilient enough," he added. "At this time I'm not seriously worried. Being worried doesn't make the car go quicker. Of course I'm disappointed, but there's no magic."
Prost remains unconvinced, not including his former team in his end of year predictions. "Red Bull, for sure they will be there until the end of the championship, and it will be very competitive. Alonso and Ferrari, it was a big surprise for me because I could not imagine that they could be that competitive and they came back quite well. Alonso is really pushing hard, he's number one in the team and he's going to be helped by Massa, you could say he's going to be difficult to beat. But I still think Red Bull at the end are going to win the championship again."