McLaren hopes to resolve Hamilton's gearbox problem

McLaren hopes to resolve the gearbox problem on Lewis Hamilton's car to avoid a replacement that would result in a five-place drop on the starting grid for the Korean Grand Prix.

On Lewis' car the transmission was replaced as a precaution before qualifying in Suzuka, nullifying an excellent third time on the grid, but in the race the new gearbox caused problems, it seems that one of the clutches failed and the Englishman finished the race without third gear.

Hamilton: “I didn't think the car would make it, it was making a lot of strange noises, I kept my fingers crossed and tried not to use the gearbox too much. I had a good margin over those following me and therefore I could lose some time but at the moment the situation in the championship doesn't seem to be going well."

Whitmarsh hopes to resolve the problem without incurring penalties but urges the team to pay greater attention for the last three races: “For the last three races we need to be sure we have 100% reliability. We will continue to push for the development of this car. We can get to Abu Dhabi and still be fighting for the world championship."

Robert Ferrari