Dennis hints at heavy fuel

Strategy might play a part in places on Barcelona grid

Last updated: 27th April 2008

Ron Dennis McLaren

Dennis: too soon to predict

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McLaren Mercedes boss Ron Dennis has downplayed their disappointing pace in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, hinting that both Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen are heavily fuelled for Sunday's race.

Hamilton and Kovalainen qualified in fifth and sixth places at the Circuit de Catalunya, behind the Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso's Renault and BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica.

McLaren's renewed lack of pace could be seen as worrying for the Woking team, who have been generally outshone by both Ferrari and BMW since Hamilton scored victory in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

However, ahead of the race, Dennis says it is too early to say for sure whether McLaren's places on the grid fully reflects their standing and that fuel strategy - which has changed this season - is likely to play a part.

"I think it's a bit premature to say who is the quickest and who is the slowest at the moment," Dennis told www.autosport.com.

"You know very well that the regulatory change that sees us not able to put fuel back in and having to basically qualify and run what we've got left...requires a great deal of thought about what your fuel level is.

"So, when you look at the closeness of the grid and you turn that into how many laps of fuel that represents, you don't have to have that much of a different strategy to be where we are on the grid. Only tomorrow we will know.

"So it is a little early to say whether the pecking order has changed. But one thing is for sure - which is that everyone, I think, has gotten closer together. And that means better racing.

"And good racing is what we need for Formula One. That's what it is all about. We're not spending enough time talking about the racing."