Friday: For Button and Magnussen, McLaren is lagging behind
Despite a double podium in Australia, McLaren seemed to struggle during the Malaysian Grand Prix. According to Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen, if the pack is very tight, they will have to work very hard to catch up with the best.
Jenson Button (No.22) – 5th and 6th
After consistently being at the forefront during winter testing, Jenson Button returned to this track and showed pace, despite the very different conditions: « The conditions in the evening were very different compared to the afternoon, the key being the temperature variation. It was more difficult to heat the tires on a colder asphalt, but there was less degradation. »
Despite the improvement in form compared to Malaysia, the 2009 world champion admits that he is not very happy with his car: « There is a gap between us and the best, actually I think no one is really happy with their car except Mercedes. » The Brit reminds that there is a lot of work to do, and that everyone at McLaren is giving their best to bridge this gap.
Kevin Magnussen (No.20) – 7th and 9th
The young Dane is relatively satisfied with his McLaren after completing the day’s program: « Our car seems to be good on this circuit, it even seems to be a very decent racing car actually, but obviously it’s too early to be sure. »
Just like Jenson Button, the rookie acknowledges that McLaren is not at the level of the best: « But apart from the fastest cars, the field seems very tight. If it stays like this, we will have a good opportunity to qualify well », with the goal being a third finish in the points for Kevin Magnussen and his MP4-29.
