Jenson Button says McLaren needs to analyse why it was not as competitive as expected despite finishing sixth in the United States Grand Prix.
In a dramatic race in Austin, Button eventually finished in sixth place after numerous on track battles. However, in the early stages he complained about the pace of his McLaren and he believes the end result should not mask the underlying lack of performance.
“I have to say our pace here was nowhere near what we were expecting," Button said. "Compared to Toro Rosso, they were so much quicker, a lot faster than I expected around here, especially on the medium and faster corners, as were weren’t nearly as fast as we were expecting. We need to go home and look at the reasons for that."
Having secured the best result of his season, Button praised McLaren's handling of a race with unsettled weather and a number of Safety Car interventions.
"It was a tough day, so I’m happy to come away with sixth place, thanks to good strategy. I think we did a good job with that but apart from that the pace of the car was not exciting. While the track was drying I really enjoyed myself, as always, as I could make a bit of a difference there.
"But as soon as it’s dry, everyone knows where they can brake, so it’s more difficult for us. It’s great to get some points at the end of an interesting race. There were a lot of calls to be made and I always enjoy that, but I didn’t enjoy the pace. And it was completely dry for most of the race, so we also had quite a bit of graining for us."
And Button had time for his former team-mate Lewis Hamilton after he won his third world championship.
"Also, congratulations to my fellow countryman Lewis Hamilton for his title. Great job, mate, and from what I saw on TV it looked like a great race for everyone.”
Hamilton takes title after dramatic USGP victory
Lewis Hamilton: Three-time F1 world champion
AS IT HAPPENED: United States Grand Prix
Click here for the F1 drivers' girlfriends gallery
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
