New start for McLaren at the Spanish GP?

Si McLaren started with a bang in Melbourne, she quickly fell into line during the following events. The MP4-29s were even behind in the last races as they missed the points in Bahrain and Shanghai. The break therefore came at just the right time for the Woking team, which had to work hard to correct the situation for the start of the European season which began this weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix. “We plan to learn and recover from last month’s disappointing performance in China”, comments sports director Éric Boullier. “The gray areas have been analyzed and we have identified the sectors where our package is lacking. We have made progress, whether in the short or medium term, to resolve these concerns. Even if they will not all seem resolved in Barcelona, ​​these solutions will mark a new beginning and a new state of mind. »

If Jenson Button's wisdom is particularly useful to McLaren in this difficult period, the 2009 world champion must certainly be impatient to be able to return to the front. “For us it is not a question of simply making changes to the track. We must discover the secrets of car and exploit these discoveries to progress in terms of performance”, declares the Briton. “We are only at the beginning stages and we are less focused on the elements and more on the general direction: to trust in our measures and to move forward. We all know that this team has the ability to develop a car during the season and I hope that happens soon. »

As for Kevin Magnussen, the rookie must deal with the unpredictable performance of his MP4-29 while doing his best to help the team develop the car. The Dane remains competitive since he is only three points behind his much more experienced teammate. “We have had a difficult last two races and I hope we will be more successful in Spain. The problems experienced in China have given us the data and energy necessary to make changes. So I'm looking forward to getting behind the wheel on Friday and seeing if we've made any progress. The Circuit de Catalunya is a magnificent track, I won both World Series races there (by Renault, with Dams). Post-race testing will be useful as Barcelona is one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar in terms of aerodynamics. We couldn't ask for a better place to evaluate and refine our car. »