Martin Whitmarsh: “It takes two to tango…”

All smiles at McLaren in Canada...

Martin Whitmarsh insists that the team spirit at McLaren helped to override any stress caused by the clash between Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton in Canada.

Tensions were eased when the drivers were able to talk during the break and they both accepted that it was a racing incident.

“People are going to talk about it,” said Whitmarsh when asked by this blog about Hamilton’s recent controversies. “But what a race. I’d hope that people want drivers to go out there and race. If there are absolutely reckless and silly things, you’ve got to be called up for it.

“But if you put yourself on the inside of someone, that’s how you normally overtake, and if they turn in on you, you’re probably going to have an accident. It takes two to tango, it takes two to make a decision about whether you’re going to come together or not. I think you can’t overtake without the risk of coming together, and that’s a fact.”

Regarding the aftermath, Whitmarsh added: “The great thing is the team spirit and the spirit between the two drivers is such that there was no recrimination. Both drivers recognise that it was one of those things, and there’s absolutely no issue.

“When team mates come together like that of course it’s disappointing for the team, but very easy for that to degenerate into something of a scene between the drivers. Of course it hasn’t done that.”