LEWIS HAMILTON BLASTS CAR

FURIOUS Lewis Hamilton has told his McLaren team their £100million Grand Prix car should have been BINNED months ago after another nightmare time in Turkey.

Britain's defending world champ bombed out in the first qualifying session in Istanbul and will line up in a lowly 16th spot for this afternoon's race.

And then Hamilton savaged his MP4-24 flop that has wrecked his dream of winning back-to-back drivers' crowns.

His misery was in contrast to championship pacesetter Jenson Button who should increase his 16-point lead after qualifying second in his Brawn GP car which - like Hamilton's - is powered by Mercedes.

Dejected Hamilton stormed: "Welcome to my world. We probably should have scrapped this car a long time ago. It is too late now. But I don't think we should rush any upgrades. It's better that we take our time to refine it. It's not like we can claw back 60 points. We will bounce back next year."

Former team chief Eddie Jordan also criticised the design of the silver machine, blasting: "The car is quite simply hopeless. Possibly the worst McLaren have ever designed."

Hamilton, 24, struggled right from the start of qualifying and missed out on the second session by a massive 0.4sec. He was even slower than his pal Adrian Sutil, who races for minnows Force India, which also uses Mercedes engines.

The Brit added: "The car just got slower and slower as the track has got hotter. If we scrapped it, it would have been a waste of money and hard work from all the guys.

WHIT HOT - McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh (left) in conversation with Lewis Hamilton

"And with the way the economy is it could take five or six months to rebuild a car. And who's to say we would get it right?"

Button missed out on a hat-trick of poles by just 0.1sec to Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, whose two previous career victories have come from pole.

But Button - who leads Vettel by 28 points - has vowed to stop the German maintaining the record of every winner in Turkey starting from top spot on the grid.

Statistics

Button said: "I will be out to end that statistic. I am confident but it is going to be very tough."

The 29-year-old also admitted he is under more stress than he has ever been in his life despite leading the standings by 16 points from team-mate Rubens Barrichello, who will start third.

Button, who has won five of the first six races, said: "Michael Schumacher won seven world championship and I understand why that guy retired. I am sure it must have been the most stressful time of his life.

"It sounds stupid but being at the front there is so much to play for. It is more stressful than being further back on the grid for sure.

Dream

"I have been in both situations and it is definitely more stressful than last year. But I am happy with that. I can put up with it. It is good stress."

Button insists he has had little chance to savour his victories, including his dream win in Monaco two weeks ago.

But it has been an emotional time for his parents, John and Simone.

Button added: "I don't get as emotional as my family. You don't get time to think about it because as soon as daylight comes you are thinking about the next race.

"My parents have been through the s*** the last couple of years. Parents always feel it more, probably, than the person involved. Monaco was very special for my father as he has watched racing since the 1950s. It was quite an emotional one for him.

"They text me most days and it is nice as you don't think about it all in the same way as they do. You read the texts and you think 'Wow, you are so right' but then immediately you are into 'Right, let's go even better in the next one'. That's the way you have to think."

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