JULY 6, 2001

Dennis points finger at qualifying

MCLAREN have struggled throughout the season in qualifying, but at the last Grand Prix, in France, they claimed the second row and team boss Ron Dennis hopes that was the turning point.

The season has not been going well for the men in silver and black, and Dennis has put much of the problems down to performances in the qualifying hour.

"Hopefully France starts the trend of us being able to put in a much better all-round performance," said Dennis.

"The problem is that the qualifying now has become a fundamental part of the finishing order and sometimes we are a little bit off, but we are getting there.

"You can optimize to have a good qualifying car to the detriment of it being a good racing car. If you are any further than three rows back you have to go for a one-stop - and from there you are sacrificing the win and just going for points."