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McLaren confident it will bounce back in Germany

McLaren is confident it can get back on track in Germany © Sutton Images

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• Drivers:
• Jenson Button
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• Martin Whitmarsh

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Martin Whitmarsh is confident McLaren can bounce back at next weekend's German Grand Prix after disappointing results at the last two races.

Since Jenson Button's victory in Canada neither driver has stepped on the podium and both are now 95 points off championship leader Sebastian Vettel. McLaren's struggle was not helped by a ban on off-throttle exhaust blown diffusers at the British Grand Prix, but Whitmarsh admitted the pace of the Ferrari and the Red Bull was also something of a wake-up call.

"There has been a degree of uncertainty in recent weeks, with new restrictions placed on off-throttle exhaust blowing, and our entire team has demonstrated enormous passion and commitment as they come to terms with those challenges," he said. "We missed an opportunity for a podium finish at Silverstone, and that race was a reminder that while we are always pushing to make our car even more competitive, are rivals are doing likewise with their own machinery.

"I'm optimistic that we can move forwards this weekend and be challenging at the front once again. This will be a Santander German Grand Prix to remember!"

Button said the British Grand Prix, from which he retired, was not as bad a race for McLaren as it looked.

"Perhaps we've lost a bit of the momentum we'd built up in previous races, but not much," he said. "Although Silverstone was disappointing, our pace has been good this year. Sometimes we've been quickest, sometimes we haven't.

"The arrival of DRS and KERS Hybrid has made the racing very unpredictable, and while that's challenging for us, it's great for the fans, and I think we're going to put on a really exciting show this weekend."

He revealed that the Nurburgring is on his list of circuits he wants to conquer.

"This is a race I'd really like to win," he added. "In my championship year I finished fifth and my best position before then was third, back in 2004. To be able to say you've won at the Nürburgring is a major achievement because it's such a historic and challenging location. People don't drive around with Nordschliefe stickers on their bootlids for nothing!

"There are a lot of heavy braking areas and if conditions are tricky, which they often are, you really have to get it right at every corner. The weather can change from moment to moment so you're always on your toes."

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