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McLaren have defended Lewis Hamilton's decision to pass Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and un-lap himself during last Sunday's German Grand Prix.
Hamilton who fell to the back of the field after a second-lap puncture, emerged from his second pit stop with new tyres and chose to un-lap himself by passing Vettel, who was battling for the lead with eventual race-winner Fernando Alonso.
Vettel subsequently pitted and emerged behind Jenson Button in the other McLaren, whom he passed controversially to finish the race in second position.
Vettel said Hamilton's decision to pass him was "stupid" and suggested it had ruined his chances of challenging Alonso for victory.
"That was not nice of Lewis. I don't see why he was racing us," said the German.
"If he wants to go fast he should drop back and find a gap. It was stupid as he was a lap down. I think that lost us the place to Button because, shortly after that, we pitted."
However, McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh defended his driver, claiming Hamilton's decision was perfectly legitimate.
"Racing drivers race," he said. "He was quicker, he overtook and he pulled away, so I'm not sure what stupidity there is in that."
McLaren's sporting director, Sam Michael, agreed and dismissed Vettel's argument that it had affected his race.
"He (Hamilton) came out and he was fast," he said. "We said to him that you've got blue flags for Jenson.
"When you get a blue flag, you have two choices. You let the car past, or you speed up significantly.
"So we told him to speed up significantly and overtake Vettel and he did so. He didn't hold Vettel up at all because Vettel couldn't keep up with him. So it didn't have any material impact on Vettel's race and it's completely legal."
Vettel was later hit with a 20-second penalty by the FIA for his move on Button, which dropped him to fifth place and promoted the Briton to second.
The fact that Button and Hamilton are fast enough to match the RedBulls would be much cause for joy for McLaren.
Button, 32, who has struggled for pace in recent races, was boosted by the improved performance of his car and believes his team are now in a position to start winning races.
"I am happy that we have done a good job and we have good pace. There is no-one quicker than us at the moment and we can fight for the win in the next few races," said Button.
Hamilton, who qualified seventh, saw a second lap puncture drop him to the back of the field and ruined his chances in the race.
In spite of this, he was encouraged by the overall performance of his car.
"At least I was able to have some fun out on track - my pace was good enough to be able to match the leaders during the middle stint. And that's encouraging for me, because we know our car's been genuinely quick this weekend," he said.
"We'll put that pace in our pockets and take it to Hungary next weekend."
This article was first published in The New Paper.
 
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