Korea International Circuit, Friday October 12

JENSON BUTTON

MP4-27A-03

FP1         1m40.480s (+1.332s)             21 laps                    10th

FP2         1m39.219s (+0.387s)             19 laps                    4th

Its so tricky to get a good set-up around here. Were still not quite quick enough, but were heading in the right direction. Weve been making progress all day, although this mornings session was more about testing new parts and making sure everything worked correctly and less about choosing the right set-up.

At the moment, it doesnt look like were quite as quick as the Red Bullswholl probably be quite difficult to beat in qualifyingbut our race lap-times and consistency both look good.

I think the track has done most of its evolution already todayits not going to re-set tomorrowso the adjustments weve been making are looking positive. And theres still more to come.

LEWIS HAMILTON

MP4-27A-04

FP1         1m39.148s                              23 laps                    1st

FP2         1m39.717s (+0.885s)             25 laps                    8th

I struggled a little bit with set-up today. There was quite a big difference in feeling between FP1 and FP2, which we dont fully understand yet. This mornings session was fine, but I made some changes for the afternoon and wasnt quite able to get a good time out of either the Prime or the Option [tyres].

So now well work hard to figure out what direction we want to take. The Red Bulls look pretty quick, but Jenson wasnt that far off their pace this afternoon. So thats good. Well make some changes to the balance overnight, and hopefully well be in better shape for tomorrow.

As I say, this afternoon Jenson showed that our car has pace; all we need to do is fully extract it. If we can improve the balance overnight, I think we can be competitive.

MARTIN WHITMARSH

Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

Finding the perfect set-up for this circuit is a somewhat tricky balancing actand its not made any easier by the green track surface and the changing wind direction between sessions.

Nevertheless, I think weve made a solid start to the weekend. We evaluated a number of new solutions and made decent progress towards cracking the balance needed for both the Soft and the Supersoft tyres.

As always, the sharp end of the field looks extremely competitive, so the remainder of the weekend will be all about trying to maximise the slightest competitive advantage. Theres still work to be done, but our engineers and mechanics will doubtless rise to the challenge.

Were in the thick of it, and were very much looking forward to qualifying tomorrow.