McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh believes his team can defy the odds and win the world title.
"It's tough, but it's possible," McLaren team boss says
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh believes his team can still defy the odds and win the world title despite the big lead currently enjoyed by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.
The Woking team headed into Formula One's summer break on the front foot after drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button scored two wins in as many races. As a result, they both closed the gap to Vettel but the defending champion still stands 88 points ahead of third-placed Hamilton, with Button a further 12 points adrift of his team-mate.
Whitmarsh admits that with only eight races left this season it will take a monumental effort to catch Vettel but his team certainly haven't given up.
"I think it's tough, but it's possible," Whitmarsh told
Autosport.
"And winning races is tough, but I think all you can do is try to win every race, and you can't do more than that. It is difficult to pull back the gap, but it's possible.
"Of course people focus on the championship, but I think if you are not leading the championship then you can't worry too much about it.
"I'd like a one-two and it'd be handy if a Red Bull was not the third car on the podium if we get a one-two, and so we'd welcome Ferrari on the podium as well. We never give up. We've never been a quitter and this time isn't one.
"Whatever happens we are going to try to win every race and that's the great challenge."
Difficulties
Whitmarsh also said that Hamilton's victory in the German Grand Prix last month had helped him put the difficulties he had experienced earlier in the season behind him.
The 2008 world champion had been criticised for his driving style after a number of collisions, including one with Button. Comments Hamilton made in the aftermath of the Monaco Grand Prix, where he was penalised by stewards, caused controversy while his future at McLaren also came under the spotlight.
"I think the positive one is that his head's now in a great place, because he suddenly believes he can win, and there's lap time in that," Whitmarsh added.
"I think Lewis desperately wants to win. I think he's tough on himself. He still takes too much to heart what's said in the media.
"He has a little bit too much sensitivity about that. But he will learn. At the same time he is a young man, he gets a lot more attention, a lot more pressure, a lot more expectation.
"We are trying to help, we are trying to work with the media. I'm probably a bit more cynical than Lewis, but the same time I probably don't get quite the battering that Lewis usually gets."
