McLaren confident Button slump to end now

Jun.21 (GMM) McLaren sounds confident it has solved the issue that risks derailing Jenson Button's 2012 title bid.

Jenson Button, McLaren Mercedes

Photo by: xpb.cc

The 2009 world champion admitted he was "confused and very lost" after the recent Canadian Grand Prix, when he was lapped by the identical car driven to victory by his teammate Lewis Hamilton.

"(Since Canada) There's been a huge amount of work carried out back at the factory, analysing the data to check everything was as we thought it was," team operations director Simon Roberts told reporters on Wednesday.

He said no flaws were found on Button's MP4-27 or even with the basic setup, "But, subtly, there are differences with these cars," he confirmed.

"And I think going into Valencia we are quite optimistic we have identified them. I think we can have a slightly different way of getting Jenson's car under him for both qualifying and the race," added Roberts.

Some analysts claim the 'topsy-turvy' results seen so far in 2012, with seven different winners including Button winning the opening seven Grands Prix, is due to the Pirelli tyres only working within a tiny operating 'window'.

"We think we've stepped nearer to understanding it all," Roberts continued. "Whether we've cracked it, only time will tell.

"It's been a painful but interesting learning exercise for us."