"Right," McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh told Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton as the team began its Sunday pre-race briefing. "Our race here last year lasted seven seconds. Let's make sure this one lasts a bit longer!"
It may have been a moment of levity, but it reminded you of the black cloud that rained down on McLaren in the aftermath of last year's US Grand Prix. The sour mood precipitated Juan Pablo Montoya's switch to NASCAR (he announced his deal just one week later) and did little to strengthen the narrow thread that kept Kimi Raikkonen attached to the team.
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