Jenson Button says panic has not gripped McLaren following their poor start to the season, but knows they must crack their issues sooner rather than later, otherwise their title hopes will be over.
A few days on from a poor weekend at the Australian Grand Prix that showed McLaren to be woefully off the pace, Button is not expecting too much relief from the misery this weekend in Malaysia.
The issues with the Woking-based team’s latest car are many and so complex that Button, who trailed in ninth in Melbourne, has no idea when they will be rectified.
The 33-year-old believes the problems will be solved, but that of course must happen before his title hopes evaporate.
Asked whether there was panic at McLaren, Button said: “I wouldn’t use that word but we’re working hard to get back to the front because this is not where we expected to be. It’s definitely not where we should be.”
As for his title hopes, Button added: “If Kimi (Raikkonen, the race winner in Melbourne) doesn’t finish in the points on Sunday, and if the guy that wins does not finish in the points in the race after that, then there might be an opportunity this year. But if Kimi goes and wins the next four races, he is going to have a 90-point lead over me, so it’s very tricky.”
Button has experienced many lows throughout his career before finally enjoying the high of world title glory with Brawn in 2009 and his subsequent move to McLaren.
He said: “For the last four years I’ve been racing in F1, throughout the year I’ve had good cars and been able to win grands prix but that can’t always be the case.
“You are going to have tough times and I’ve experienced enough of them to know that even with a great team it can happen.
“If I was in a smaller team, I’d be worried but, because it’s McLaren, I know we can develop the car and find one that really works for us.”