Jenson Button was encouraged with McLaren’s performance in Melbourne after topping the first session today, while also acknowledging that the true picture has yet to fully emerge.
Thanks to the short dry window in FP2 Jenson’s time actually stood as the quickest of the day. He was only 15th in the second session as he did not go for an out and out time at the end.
“This morning we were able to do some set-up work,” said Jenson, “and this afternoon we were just getting a little idea of the car and how it reacts to putting wet tyres on and inters, and at the end just doing a slightly longer run.
“There’s a lot of useful information, but obviously you’d like a lot more. It’s the same for all of us, but hopefully we’ll be able to find a better balance than everyone else.
“The car does feel different here to the last test, it’s a very different type of circuit, a different layout, and the average speed of the corners is much lower.
“The car for me is working well here, but there’s still some areas where we think we have to improve the car, as always on a Friday afternoon. And yeah for sure the weather hasn’t helped. We go into tomorrow quite happy, and a lot of discussions tonight to decide which direction we go in terms of strategy with the tyres, and also about the set-up of the car.”
Jenson conceded that despite the obvious limitations that everyone faced, it was stil good to be top: “We all say it’s only P1, it’s only P2, but it is a nice way to start the season, you’d rather be first than last. A positive day, I think.
“I’m reasonably happy with the car here actually, it feels nice. There are still areas to improve, but a relatively good Friday considering the limited running. We have a good understanding of the car, which is key, and lots to build on for tomorrow.”
Adam Cooper F1 