The actual performance of the MP4/23 revealed in Spain!

McLaren boss, Ron Dennis refuses to say that the Malaysian Grand Prix was disappointing for his team. He adds that the pace of the MP4/23 can only be fairly assessed at the end of the fourth race of the season.

McLaren started the year on a good note as Lewis Hamilton won the first race of the season in Melbourne while his teammate Heikki Kovalainen finished fifth. However, the duo could not hold off Ferrari as both drivers were penalized with a five-place grid penalty.

Hamilton could only manage a fifth place after a minor incident in the pits, while Kovalainen fared slightly better, finishing in third place behind world champion Kimi Räikkönen and Robert Kubica.

« We don’t exactly know our pace at the moment, » stated Dennis.

« We will know our level of competitiveness only after Barcelona on April 27. In Australia, Malaysia, and Bahrain, which will be the next race, the circuits are all very different, they do not reflect the true pace of the car. »

Comparing his team’s dominance in Melbourne to the tighter fight in Malaysia, Dennis emphasized the importance of racing at the front of the field.

« When you are in traffic, your tires do not use all the available potential, » he added.

« Once the track was clear, we were able to see our real pace and that’s the main advantage of this Australian Grand Prix.

Hamilton, leader of the championship, lost precious seconds due to an unfortunate small nut during his pit stop in the race. Dennis comments on this incident: « This problem prevented us from finishing third and fourth. »