Button: ‘It will be a long winter’

Jenson Button has promised McLaren will make massive strides this winter, but does not expect them to battle Mercedes next year.

The 2009 world champion has suffered an embarrassing campaign alongside Fernando Alonso with a series of mechanical failures and a lack of pace.

The team believe they will improve over the winter and Button expects the dark days to be consigned to history.

"Every race we have brought new parts, and whether you see them or not in terms of laptime, it is all learning for next year,” he said.

"But it's going to be a long winter, not an easy winter to find the time we need, but a winter we are all looking forward to.

"If we're fighting at the front then we've got to find another two and a half seconds, which is a massive gap.

"Whether we can do that I don't know, but I know we will make big gains this winter."

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