Why McLaren shouldn't be ruled out yet
The Japanese Grand Prix left McLaren further away from the top of the championship with just three races to go. But Adam Cooper explains why it would be a mistake to write the team off yet
So has McLaren blown its chances of winning the World Championship? After Suzuka last weekend, it's tempting to think so. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are now 28 and 31 points respectively behind leader Mark Webber in the title battle, and with both Red Bull drivers looking so strong in Japan, and Fernando Alonso logging good finishes for Ferrari with metronomic regularity, it doesn't look too good for the McLaren boys.
But this season has taken so many twists and turns so far, it would be foolish to write them off. In real money, or pre-2010 points, Hamilton and Button are just 11.2 and 12.4 off Webber. And we all know, Kimi Raikkonen came back from 17 behind with two races ago to frustrate McLaren in 2007.
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