Jenson Button says he learned a lot about the strengths of the MP4-30 despite retiring from the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Both Button and team-mate Fernando Alonso failed to finish the race, with Button being hit by turbo issues which caused a loss of power. However, the Briton expressed his surprise on team radio that he was catching cars during the race and he agrees with Alonso that McLaren’s pace was a pleasant surprise.
“I had fun, I actually overtook two cars today!” Button said. “So it was enjoyable. We’re still struggling a lot in a straight line, even with DRS we can’t overtake cars, they just pull away. So it’s very difficult for us out there but I think it just shows in terms of cornering we are reasonably strong, especially in high-speed.
“It was interesting to race with other people and a little bit unexpected to be able to see a Red Bull so far in to the race in front”
And Button says he was able to gauge where the McLaren is strong compared to other cars as he could race with them on track.
“We’re actually racing people and closing on the pack in front in the last stint was quite a lot of fun. You can see where our strengths and weaknesses are. I think it’s quite apparent compared to the Force India but then you also compare ourselves to the Sauber and even some of the quicker cars like the Lotus which is quite interesting.
“So a useful day and just a pity we both ended up finishing early. It was also quite interesting to work out the front wing angle because we’re running quite a lot of front wing which is unusual for McLaren. We finally worked it out in the last stint so I’m happy with that learning.”
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