McLaren downbeat over revival in Spain

Jenson Button’s team had hoped the recent break ahead of the start of the European section of the Formula 1 campaign would herald a u-turn in form.

McLaren’s decision to remodel their car for this season has so far badly backfired. Button and team-mate Sergio Perez have amassed just 13 and ten points respectively from the opening four grands prix to leave McLaren sixth in the constructors’ championship.

But in terms of Sunday’s race at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya being a breakthrough, despite a welter of updates on the car, it appears unlikely to be the case.

Button said: “There’s been a lot of talk about the importance of the upgrades, but as with every upgrade they’re simply part of the series of continuous improvement that are made across the season. As always there’ll be elements of it that work, elements that work in a different way to what we’d anticipated, and elements that don’t work, or perhaps require further work.

“That’s life in modern Formula 1, so I’m pragmatic about what we’ll discover, although I’m hopeful it’ll move us a step closer towards the destination.”

Team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: “We’ll be hoping for a productive weekend that will allow us to gather useful data for the races ahead.”