McLaren have made ‘massive’ progress

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier has urged his team to continue improving ahead of next week’s Chinese Grand Prix.

Although both Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button retired in Malaysia last weekend, the team looked far more competitive than they were in Australia as they fought with the back end of the midfield runners.

Boullier insists that they have made “massive” progress, but they are far from happy with where they are.

He told AUTOSPORT: "We're not in the points, yeah we're in front of the Force India but that's not where we want to be.

"Today we are not measuring the absolute performance yet - that is when you start to fight for a pole and win - but we are measuring the relative one compared with Barcelona testing and Australia, and it was a massive difference.

"Both drivers were happy actually with the car balance and driveability which is very important, but we have to keep going like this."

Button added: "There is still a long way to go as there's not so much you can do in two weeks, but what we have done is exceptional," he said.

"The whole team should be proud of how they have stayed together and stayed positive, as it is not easy for any of us, but it's good to see the progress."

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