Jenson Button says McLaren has "turned a corner" following a successful start to the 2014 season in Australia.
Ahead of the second round of the year in Malaysia, he believes the Woking-based outfit is in a strong position and should score another good result.
The Brit took the chequered flag at the Albert Park Circuit in fourth place but was promoted to third following Daniel Ricciardo's exclusion.
His rookie team-mate Kevin Magnussen moved up to second place, meaning McLaren left Melbourne at the top of the constructors' standings. It has been a remarkable turnaround for the team after failing to register a top three finish last year.
"Australia was a really motivational race for the entire team – even though we still have work to do, it feels like we’ve turned a corner, and that we have a racecar we can definitely work with this year," he said.
"It’s important that we keep pushing hard on the development front – we brought some useful upgrades to Melbourne, and it was encouraging that they worked straight out of the box, but it’s essential that we keep pushing new items through the development pipeline, especially at these flyaway races, where it’s harder to bring new parts to the circuit."
He added: "Sepang is a great driver’s circuit, and even if we don’t have the overall downforce we want, we should have the balance and driveability to make the car work. And that’s really encouraging, because it means we go into a race weekend knowing that we can usually get the maximum from the car during the sessions and the race.
"Even if we don’t yet have the pace to take the fight to the frontrunners, we should have a car that’s decent in every sector, and which we’ll be able to hustle through the race – and that definitely counts for something."
Magnussen believes the race weekend will be more of a test for the 2014 cars and is aiming for another strong points finish. "Sepang is a very different type of track from Albert Park: Melbourne was all about slow-speed corners and mechanical balance, whereas Malaysia is a real high-speed circuit, the corners are much faster and there’ll be more of an emphasis on aerodynamic performance," said the 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 champion.
"I think it’ll be a tougher test than Australia – the ambient temperatures will make it tougher for the drivers; and the track temperatures will be higher too, which will make it harder on the tyres.
"My aim will be to score more points – consistency is going to be very important for the championship – and to keep learning, especially in such a different environment. I’m really looking forward to it – the car feels fantastic to drive, and I hope we’ll have another good weekend."
You can read my Malaysian Grand Prix preview here: http://bit.ly/1giZw1k
 |
| © McLaren Mercedes |
The Brit took the chequered flag at the Albert Park Circuit in fourth place but was promoted to third following Daniel Ricciardo's exclusion.
His rookie team-mate Kevin Magnussen moved up to second place, meaning McLaren left Melbourne at the top of the constructors' standings. It has been a remarkable turnaround for the team after failing to register a top three finish last year.
"Australia was a really motivational race for the entire team – even though we still have work to do, it feels like we’ve turned a corner, and that we have a racecar we can definitely work with this year," he said.
"It’s important that we keep pushing hard on the development front – we brought some useful upgrades to Melbourne, and it was encouraging that they worked straight out of the box, but it’s essential that we keep pushing new items through the development pipeline, especially at these flyaway races, where it’s harder to bring new parts to the circuit."
He added: "Sepang is a great driver’s circuit, and even if we don’t have the overall downforce we want, we should have the balance and driveability to make the car work. And that’s really encouraging, because it means we go into a race weekend knowing that we can usually get the maximum from the car during the sessions and the race.
"Even if we don’t yet have the pace to take the fight to the frontrunners, we should have a car that’s decent in every sector, and which we’ll be able to hustle through the race – and that definitely counts for something."
Magnussen believes the race weekend will be more of a test for the 2014 cars and is aiming for another strong points finish. "Sepang is a very different type of track from Albert Park: Melbourne was all about slow-speed corners and mechanical balance, whereas Malaysia is a real high-speed circuit, the corners are much faster and there’ll be more of an emphasis on aerodynamic performance," said the 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 champion.
"I think it’ll be a tougher test than Australia – the ambient temperatures will make it tougher for the drivers; and the track temperatures will be higher too, which will make it harder on the tyres.
"My aim will be to score more points – consistency is going to be very important for the championship – and to keep learning, especially in such a different environment. I’m really looking forward to it – the car feels fantastic to drive, and I hope we’ll have another good weekend."
You can read my Malaysian Grand Prix preview here: http://bit.ly/1giZw1k
No comments:
Post a Comment