McLaren's Jenson Button looks ahead to the resumption of the Formula 1 season
The reigning Formula One world champion, Jenson Button, has said that McLaren need to get back in form as soon as the season resumes to have any chance of winning the championship.
Before the last race at Hungary, McLaren had been leading the championship table with Hamilton on top and Button on 2nd place.
However, the final race before the break did not turn out to be the best for the two British drivers. Red Bull made great distance and got to the top of the leader board. It was by far the worst weekend for McLaren in the season, and Hamilton did not even manage to complete the race following problems with his gear box, while Button finished in 8th place.
That was not the end of the problems for McLaren. The race was also an evidence of how far behind McLaren are in terms of car updates as compared to Red Bull, and the 3rd team in contention, Ferrari, have made great strides and are almost at par with Red Bull.
There has been a lot of talk about the front wing that was installed on the Ferraris and Red Bull cars. The new regulations would take effect before the next race, the Belgian Grand Prix. It is yet to be determined exactly how the new regulations will affect the front wing design on the two rival teams.
Button said that if the front wing is under the scanner by FIA according to the new regulations, then it would be the perfect time for McLaren to take advantage of the situation.
Button went on to say that the team knows that they have some serious catching up to do as the season resumes. He added that the time off has helped the team reflect on the problems with the car and Belgian Grand Prix would be pivotal in determining the outcome of the season for the top three teams. The 2009 champion said that the start of the season was not bad, but in the middle McLaren really made some strides; however, it was the time when Ferrari and Red Bull made upgrades where the team fell behind. He said that the engineers at McLaren have been working overtime to come up with solutions to the problems faced by the car and the results would be there for everyone to see in the last 7 races of the season.
Button said that the team is very optimistic that the new rules about the body may favour McLaren and help them close the gap on the two rival teams. He added that the next two circuits, Spa and Monza, will be ideal for McLaren and will suit them more than others, so it would be the best time to make a comeback and get the top spot in the World Drivers' and Constructors' championship table.
He said that as the season enters its final stages, it will become harder to introduce new upgrades and master them in time to win the season. The former Brawn GP driver went on to say that the double diffuser system is the key; any team that makes best use of that upgrade would have the best chance of winning the season.
In the last three races before the season break, it was Ferrari who had made the biggest strides as far as the double diffuser upgrade is concerned. Red Bull, however, did bounce back with their own version of the diffuser, but the break has given all the teams enough time to come up with a better and improved version. Therefore, the Belgian Grand Prix will be a litmus test to determine who has done their homework best.
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