Brown admits 'poor car' will keep McLaren pinned down

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Zak Brown sees no turnaround up ahead for McLaren, expecting the Woking-based outfit to continue to struggle for the remainder of the season with its uncompetitive MCL33.

McLaren's 2018 season - a campaign it hoped would pull the team up the grid following its switch to Renault power - has been another painful uphill battle.

Armed with a car whose design is embedded with too may weaknesses, not the least of which is a big straight-line speed deficit, McLaren's drivers have lingered most of the time in the middle or at the tail end of F1's midfield.

Unfortunately, that's about as good as it will get for the papaya squad in 2018.

"We'll continue to push on this car but unfortunately we've produced an extremely poor race car that is not that responsive to changes, which will tell you that inherently we don't have a good race car," acknowledged Brown, speaking to Motorsport.com.

"I would expect, unfortunately, similar type of results – maybe a little more circuit-specific – over the balance of the year.

"I certainly wouldn't expect any miracles."

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The issues impacting the performance of its MCL33 appear to be rooted in the car's aerodynamics. In-season development, and mainly a big upgrade last spring in Spain, appears to have brought more questions than answers and restricted any progress.

Brown insists however that the team will continue to work on its MCL33 as it wants to understand the fundamental issue behind the car's insufficiencies.

"Other teams have developed at a faster pace than ourselves," added Brown.

"It appears we've gone backwards. In reality, everyone else has gone forwards, but in Formula 1 if you're not going forwards you're going backwards.

"We knew Spa and Monza-type circuits would be our absolute weak points in the car, which are proving to be the case.

"We're not giving up on developing because we're identifying the issues and want to see if we're able to solve them."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.