McLaren’s Jenson Button and Sergio Perez have both admitted that their chances of fighting for the title in 2013 are almost non-existent after a dreadful start to the season.
The MP4-28 has suffered from poor correlation between wind tunnel and track testing. Despite a raft of upgrades in Spain, Button admits it’s unlikely they’ll be anywhere near the front.
“We’re still a hell of a long way off the pace – I think you will see four teams who are very competitive at the front, and I don’t feel we’ll be one of them,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
“We won’t be fighting towards the front, and it’s going to be quite a big gap,” he added.
Perez, speaking on Friday after a disappointing practice session, ruled out their chances of challenging for either championship – despite his bold claims at the beginning of the year.
“It’s not realistic to think that we are going to be fighting for the title,” he said. “It’s the fifth race and we’re still two seconds a lap slower.”
McLaren currently sit sixth in the constructors’, some 86 points behind Red Bull.
