McLaren on top of issues after late run – Button

2015 F1 Season

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Jenson Button says that McLaren are confident of logging more laps in the second half of the Jerez test after the team identified the issue that has limited their running so far in the new MP4-30.

The McLaren-Honda has covered just 53 kilometres over the first two days of the opening pre-season test at Jerez, but Button insists the team have figured out the cause of the issues after a late final run confirmed their suspicions, but did not disclose what the problem was.

“Obviously it’s not the easiest start to the season, but as we know, it’s a very complicated power unit,” says Button. “We will get our heads around it. We understand the issue today and that’s what the last run of the day in the wet was for, to really understand it, and we do, so that’s good.

“The important thing is for us to get our heads down and work through all of the systems checks over the next few days. We’re not going to be setting the world alight with laptimes or laps on the circuit, but hopefully we’ll get to the first race and be competitive.”

But with the team focused on systems checks on their new challenger, Button admits the team is in the dark about their performance relative to their rivals.

“We don’t know where we stand right now,” Button says. “In terms of understanding our performance, we’re still at zero. Hopefully the weather’s good tomorrow and Fernando can get some good running in the car and we can get some good information.

“To be fair, Red Bull drove around without a front wing all day, so I don’t think they really gained any experience on us,” Button joked.

Despite a difficult start to the pre-season, Button believes the team are in no worse a position than they expected to be at this stage.

“The atmosphere in the team is very good. And when I say ‘team’, I mean ‘McLaren-Honda’. That is key for everyone to remember – that it’s not ‘McLaren with an engine manufacturer’, it’s one team, one goal.

“I feel like a kid again, getting in the car. It’s more because of what I have underneath me, in terms of how good a job the guys have done with the car and working with Honda again.”

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Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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12 comments on “McLaren on top of issues after late run – Button”

  1. Hope you’re right Jense mate…

  2. Didn’t Honda say the exact same thing yesterday?

    I suppose these type of teething problems should be expected, especially when you consider how they have supposedly compromised reliability for performance. Hopefully they can get some decent mileage tomorrow – as long as they can do 10-15+ laps tomorrow then it will show that they have made some clear progress.

    1. +1. I was ready to tell the same thing.
      Hopefully, they will start actually racing in Melbourne.

  3. predicting around 30 laps tomorrow

  4. I’m really hoping McLaren Honda is going to be great, but I’m starting to worry about the quality of their processes. How can they turn up to a precious track session three times in a row and find a new and intractable problem? Mercedes tested and developed the entire PU in a real chassis. Renault didn’t.

    I really assumed Honda would know that, but it’s like this is the first time they’ve connected all the pieces together, and OH it doesn’t quite all work after all so we have to take it all apart again.

    Well that’s a simplistic view I expect, but sometimes things are that simple even in F1. Apparently it was only Lauda who suggested Merc use a real chassis. But with that to learn from, the process at Honda should have made what’s happened almost impossible.

    1. You would think it should be standard practice to run the engine in similar conditions to those which it will always be used. I don’t see any F1 cars running with exposed engines anymore.

    2. Honda are ngeniipigiron who created that 80’s powerhouse in an era of low tech pigiron.

      They’re late entrants on a tiny timescale going up against the best in the world in a sport where they were roundly humiliated last time out.

      McLaren may have benefited from the return of podromu and the arrival of boullier but they can’t carry Honda over the line, even at their best, which they’re not at the moment.

      Far too much has been made since last year of the “great history” and Honda “seeing what’s already been developed” which doesn’t address Honda’s crisis of organisation which Ross Brawn had to try and fix or their uncompetitive recent efforts.

      They’ve a lot of work to do and hopefully like red bull last year they’ll arrive at the races in much better shape. With only 9 teams on the grid we need them.

      1. “ngeniipigiron”?

        The comments box’s tendency to jump the cursor around and re-spell words when you’re not looking had never been better shown.

        It should read “not the genii”.

        1. I thought it had to be some kind of Japanese word, almost Googled it

          1. I would have thought most of us would have been surprised if McHonda didn’t have issues to address, this being their first ever time on track in a highly complex era. After all, only one team nailed their package last year, so McHonda deserves the time and patience to work their magic, no? Personally I would think they’d be thrilled if they were fighting for podiums by halfway through the season, but is that even realistic? For now let’s just watch and see and understand how difficult their task is, and try not to oversimplify.

    3. Look at most of the teams last year. Really, these kind of problems were to be expected. Just because you can borrow the best ideas from other manufacturers, doesn’t mean that when you put it all together it’ll work flawlessly. Give it time, mate.

  5. Nothing to worry about. The maximum performance level will come a little later, but I am sure it will come this season.

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