After the impressive run at Sochi and the long straights at the Circuit of the Americas, McLaren were expected to deliver another strong performance. Unfortunately for them that didn’t happen this time around as the MP4-29 clearly struggled with tyre degradation. Some massively impressive defensive drives from both Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button netted four points for the Dane but none for the British driver – ironically the most entertaining fights were between the McLarens and likely 2015 McLaren driver Fernando Alonso. Nonetheless, four points on a day where both Force Indias retired is far better than nothing, although the team will feel as if they could have come away with more.
McLaren United States Grand Prix Review
No. 20 Kevin Magnussen (DEN)
Grid: P7 (Qualified P8)
Race: P8
This was another much needed result for Magnussen as he finished ahead of his team mate for the first time since Austria. Both McLarens ran the same strategy of ditching the soft tyres at the end of lap 1 and then running two stints on the medium compound tyre. Magnussen spent much of the race ahead of his team mate and therefore got first dibs in pitting for the second set of medium tyres, much to Button’s disappointment. Magnussen was running just ahead of Button at the finish who in turn was holding up a lot of cars, but both were passed by Vettel who performed a similar strategy but pitted for a set of soft tyres with a handful of laps to go.
Not the result we hoped for but we tried our best and fought hard till the end. Brazil in a few days. #BelieveInMcLaren
— Kevin Magnussen (@KevinMagnussen) November 3, 2014
No. 22 Jenson Button (GBR)
Grid: P12 (Qualified P7 but suffered gearbox penalty)
Race: P12
Button had an absolutely awesome battle with Alonso during the race, showing that there is life in the old dog still. Whilst he ran the same strategy as Magnussen, Button struggled more with his tyres at the end of the race and went from running in eighth down to twelfth in the space of a couple of laps.
RT @wtf1couk: Watch @alo_oficial and @JensonButton’s awesome battle in Austin: http://t.co/7j9PBPZSWm #USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/gwuqfLMduz
— Jenson Button (@JensonButton) November 3, 2014
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