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McLaren has momentum to make comeback - Whitmarsh

Lewis Hamilton dropped 62 points off Fernando Alonso after failing to score points in Germany © Sutton Images

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• Drivers:
• Jenson Button
• |
• Lewis Hamilton
• |
• Martin Whitmarsh

• Teams:
• McLaren

Martin Whitmarsh believes McLaren has the developments and the momentum to get back into the fight for the championship, which he expects to go down to the wire.

After Lewis Hamilton retired from the German Grand Prix and Jenson Button finished second, McLaren's two drivers dropped to 62 and 86 points off Fernando Alonso at the top of the championship. But despite Alonso taking two wins in the last three races, Whitmarsh is confident McLaren can make a comeback.

"We're at the halfway point and we've got a lot of racing ahead of us," he said. "They can both do it. This season is going to go right until the very end and I believe we are going to be sat on the edge of our seats right until the final laps of the Brazilian Grand Prix. I hope that I'm in deep agony in those last few laps as that means we're in contention to win."

After two tricky races in Valencia and Silverstone, Whitmarsh believes McLaren's latest update has given it the momentum to start winning races again.

"The car is good enough at the moment but we've still got half a season to go, so the onus is on us to keep developing it. We've got a reasonable amount of momentum in the system at the moment so we will be making the car quicker, but our competitors will be trying to respond as well and I think that's what makes Formula One as exciting as it is."

But Whitmarsh stressed that he is not underestimating the challenge of beating Alonso and Ferrari.

"Fernando is doing a great job and so is Ferrari," he added. "They're difficult to beat but it's doable and we're a motor racing team and we're fighters. There are going to be some great races and what we have to concentrate now on race-by-race, trying to win and maximising points to see if we can erode that situation."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.