McLaren shows promise, but rain makes it a guessing game
Rain clouded the issue again in Hockenheim, making it impossible for McLaren, or anyone else, to gauge the progress of its update. But as Mark Hughes reports the early signs were good, though it may not be until Sunday that the true race form emerges
Yet another weather-compromised Friday, with sporadic showers in the morning and full-on rain in the afternoon, made for an inconclusive picture at Hockenheim.
In particular it made assessment of the big McLaren upgrade difficult, for despite Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton leading the overall times in the drier session, track conditions that were forever changing meant no direct comparison with Red Bull, Lotus, Mercedes etc. There may also have been less than met the eye in Hamilton being out on track together with Felipe Massa's Ferrari and lapping around 0.8s faster in the same conditions. Button's fastest time came in the early, dry, part of the session when most cars were still in the pits.
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