- McLaren
McLaren-Honda working 'relentlessly' - Button
Jenson Button says McLaren and Honda are working flat-out to develop its package but are still bracing themselves for another difficult weekend in Malaysia.
Button finished two laps down in Australia as the task facing McLaren and its new engine partner became painfully clear. The main issues relate to teething problems with its power unit which forced Honda to run conservatively in Melbourne but Button is encouraged by the work being carried out by both parties.
"Melbourne was certainly a challenging weekend for us, but there were positives to take from it," Button said. "A lot of our performance was largely unknown coming into the weekend given the limited running we had over winter testing. Despite our finishing position, getting to the chequered flag has meant that we're now armed with much more data about our package and we can learn a huge amount from it.
"Of course, nobody can be happy with finishing at the back of the pack, and we know there is a lot to do to bridge the gap to the rest of the field. However, the work going on within McLaren-Honda both in Woking and Sakura is relentless; the whole team is working tirelessly to keep developing our package to ensure we keep making steady progress."
Button does not expect a magic leap forward in Malaysia.
"Malaysia will be another tricky step in the learning process for us. It's often an unpredictable race and the extreme temperatures will test our car and tyres to limits that they haven't been exposed to yet in testing. With the possibility of rain added to the mix, it will be interesting to see how our car behaves in changeable conditions. Our aim is to maximise our mileage throughout the whole weekend."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
