McLaren are a hell of a long way off, says Jenson Button

 

Jenson Button says McLaren "are still a hell of a long way off the pace" despite an upgrade aimed at improving their Formula 1 car. 

Button and team-mate Sergio Perez were trying revised bodywork in Friday practice at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Button said: "It's going to be quite a big gap to the front. There are some areas we need to work on.
"Everyone is improving so you need to make a bigger step than them and I don't think we've done that."
Button was 12th fastest in the second session, about 1.5 seconds off the pace-setting Red Bull of world champion Sebastian Vettel.
Perez was 13th, half a second slower than his team-mate.
McLaren revealed on Wednesday that the team had been afflicted by a problem that meant the car was not responding on the track in the way simulations in the wind tunnel suggested it should.
Button said the team had established that this was "much better" but added: "We still need more. Everyone always wants more performance and that's what we're working on now."
He said: "It's great we are able to get some parts on the car. There are some positives with the balance but also some areas that are not as good as I'd hoped, areas I didn't think we'd have to work on."
Perez also tried a new front wing, but he said that he was unable to draw immediate conclusions about its effectiveness because he ran a different set of tyres with it.
The Mexican admitted that McLaren no longer had any chance of battling for the championship.

Malaysian GP: Gary Anderson questions McLaren front wing

"At the moment it is not realistic to think we are going to be fighting for the title," Perez said. "It is the fifth race and we are two seconds off the pace. We are in a similar situation to three weeks ago so points is the target."

Spanish GP 2013 Results Practice 2

Race	Grid	Q3	Q2	Q1	P3	P2	P1

Pos	Driver		Team	Time
1	Vettel		Red Bull	1:22.808
2	Alonso		Ferrari	+0.017
3	Webber		Red Bull	+0.083
4	Raikkonen		Lotus	+0.222
5	Massa		Ferrari	+0.302
6	Hamilton		Mercedes	+0.332
7	Rosberg		Mercedes	+0.590
8	Sutil		Force India	+1.032
9	Vergne		Toro Rosso	+1.250
10	di Resta		Force India	+1.296
11	Ricciardo		Toro Rosso	+1.367
12	Button		McLaren	+1.498
13	Perez		McLaren	+2.046
14	Bottas		Williams	+2.080
15	Hulkenberg		Sauber	+2.359
16	Maldonado		Williams	+2.513
17	Gutierrez		Sauber	+2.633
18	Grosjean		Lotus	+3.043
19	van der Garde		Caterham	+3.155
20	Bianchi		Marussia	+3.270
21	Pic		Caterham	+4.122
22	Chilton		Marussia	+4.162

Spanish Grand Prix 2013 Circuit de Catalunya

Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya becomes the sole Spanish stop on the Formula 1 calendar this season after Valencia's withdrawal owing to the country's precarious financial climate.

A deal to alternate the Spanish GP between the two cities has been much mooted, although not yet confirmed, so for now at least Barcelona continues its unbroken run in the sport since 1991.
For the first decade or so, the race was little more than a footnote on the schedules of Spain's bike-mad motor racing public. But the rise of Fernando Alonso changed all that and fans now flock to the circuit in massive numbers.
Although the traditional curtain-raiser to the European phase of the season in early May, F1 teams usually visit the circuit during winter testing. This year, for relevant example, eight of the twelve days of testing will be held there.

The venue's mix of corners makes it an ideal proving ground for the grid's new cars and the F1 adage is that any car which is fast at Barcelona will invariably be fast everywhere else.
The unfortunate consequence is a familiarity which means that, come the grand prix in May, teams invariably arrive at the track with car set-ups already perfected - meaning that any performance differences between them are minimised.
That has tended to mean processional frustration. In 1999, for instance, there was only one recorded overtaking move during the entire race while the 2011 race was the only one not won by the polesitter in the past 12 years.
The introduction of a DRS zone down the long main straight has gone some way to adding the opportunity for overtaking to the mix, with the first corner remaining the most feasible scene for a pass - although the speed cars travel through turn one is said to be a hindrance.
Another opportunity is at the Turn Ten hairpin following the back straight. The corner was modified in 2004, tightening the apex, whilst creating room to run the car wide on the exit.
Other changes have not proved so successful, however. Tasked with making the circuit more overtaking friendly, Hermann Tilke's solution was to redesign the final two corners and create a chicane to try and keep the cars closer together heading onto the pit straight.
Alas, the tweak proved both a failure and arguably a detraction from the circuit's flow, with fans since denied the sight of the cars operating at the peak of their capacity as had taken the sweeping two corners flat out.

Spanish GP 2013 Results Practice 1

Race	Grid	Q3	Q2	Q1	P3	P2	P1

1	Alonso		Ferrari	1:25.252
2	Massa		Ferrari	+0.203
3	Vergne		Toro Rosso	+0.415
4	Grosjean		Lotus	+0.790
5	Sutil		Force India	+0.960
6	Hamilton		Mercedes	+1.122
7	Bottas		Williams	+1.204
8	Raikkonen		Lotus	+1.362
9	Rosberg		Mercedes	+1.369
10	di Resta		Force India	+1.503
11	Ricciardo		Toro Rosso	+1.688
12	Hulkenberg		Sauber	+1.809
13	Perez		McLaren	+1.883
14	Gutierrez		Sauber	+1.998
15	Maldonado		Williams	+2.324
16	Kovalainen		Caterham	+3.121
17	van der Garde		Caterham	+3.348
18	Bianchi		Marussia	+3.635
19	Vettel		Red Bull	+4.205
20	Webber		Red Bull	+4.221
21	Gonzalez		Marussia	+5.062
22	Button		McLaren	-

Spanish GP 2013: Fernando Alonso fastest in first practice for Ferrari

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso set the pace in a wet-dry first practice session at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Alonso was 0.203 seconds faster than team-mate Felipe Massa, with Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne third.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton was on a lap that would have been similar to Alonso's fastest before being held up by a Red Bull, ending up sixth fastest.
The mixed conditions compromised the teams' attempts to assess their latest performance upgrades.
The session started wet and dried progressively throughout, so that drivers were able to use 'slick' dry weather tyres for the final 15 minutes.

Lotus driver Romain Grosjean ended up fourth ahead of Force India's Adrian Sutil and Hamilton.

Williams's Valtteri Bottas was seventh, from Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen, Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and Force India's Paul di Resta.
Apart from an early 'installation' lap, world champion Sebastian Vettel did not run until the track was dry.
He ended up 19th in his Red Bull, after getting tangled up with Hamilton a couple of times, with team-mate Mark Webber 20th.

BBC 5 live analyst and former F1 driver Allan McNish said: "You can't read too much into it because of the conditions but the Ferraris are looking pretty good so far."
BBC F1 technical analyst Gary Anderson said: "We'll get a better idea in the second session if it stays dry but the Ferraris do look quite good. But the Lotus, Mercedes and Red Bull are all competitive."
All the teams have significant upgrade packages on their cars, and much attention was focused on McLaren, who have had an uncompetitive start to the season.
Sporting director Sam Michael said: "We've got lots of new parts on car today and lots of other bits to bolt on and test. Right now, the wet weather doesn't help, but we're still doing some work. We've got enough parts for two cars, but we're limited on spares so we'd like to avoid crashing or going into gravel."
The McLaren has a revised aerodynamic package, with different wing profiles as well as more tightly-packaged bodywork

Derek Warwick has outlined Silverstone's widespread infrastructural improvements

BRDC boss also confirms BRDC remains in talks with would-be investor

Silverstone: Hopeful of no repeat of this scene in 2013

BRDC President Derek Warwick has promised fans attending this year's British GP that organisers have "upgraded everything" to avoid any repeat of last year's rain-triggered travel chaos at Silvestone.

Last summer the Northamptonshire track endured its biggest operational headache since the infamous events of 2000, when the race was controversially moved to April, as persistent heavy rain in the weeks before the showpiece F1 event, and during the opening two days of the race weekend, caused campsites and grass car parks to become waterlogged, triggering miles of tailbacks on the circuit's main access roads.

This led to the unprecedented step of advising ticket holders with passes for the car parks to stay away from Saturday's qualifying session so organisers could repair the ground in preparation for arrivals on race day.
But having previously announced a raft of infrastructural improvements for this June's race - included an expanded Park and Ride scheme along with improvements to campsites and non-tarmaced carparks - Warwick has insisted Silverstone have done everything to improve travel arrangements.
"Obviously if we have the kind of rain we had last year it's difficult for all venues but we've put in kilometres of drainage, we've improved the facilities of all the campsites," the former Renault and Arrows driver told Sky Sports News.
"We've probably got the best road system of all grands prix. You've got to remember the last ten years we've had no problems at all.
"[Last year] it was a one-off. It did catch us out. We looked after all the people who struggled on the Saturday, we compensated them, but more importantly we have upgraded everything in terms of parking and the campsites.
"There's more drainage, more facilities so we've listened to the people that complained and made it better."
Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft, attending Silverstone for a media day on Wednesday to hear about the circuit's full plans for 2013's GP, underlined how much effort organisers have made to improve the venue's infrastructure.
"This year things are going to be a lot better," he said. "They've improved the drainage and the car parks; they've put plastic matting down on the campsites so that people can actually come, set their tents up and enjoy a festival of motorsport.
"The BRDC, the owners of Silverstone, have improved the facilities; there are more roofs on the temporary grandstands, there are raised banking areas for the general admission tickets.
"The organsiers want the fans to come and enjoy the spectacle and get as many people into the circuit to have a great time."
Last July's problems aside, Silverstone has enjoyed something of a revival in recent years on the back of securing a 17-year contract to continue hosting the British GP and the opening of its new 'Wing' pit and paddock complex in 2011.
However, with the circuit keen to make further enhancements to the site and increase revenue streams, BRDC officials have spent several years chasing external investment.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Warwick confirmed the circuit was currently in talks with a would-be investor.
"The only problem we've got at the moment is it [the Wing]'s not very well linked to the rest of the circuit," he admitted.
"So we do need an investor, we're looking for an investor at the moment, talking to an investor at the moment and that will help us build hotels and bigger infrastructure etcetera.
"But our relationship with Bernie is fantastic. He complimented us last year for running one of the best grands prix of the year and you don't very often get compliments from Mr Ecclestone!"