The Austin race, I think it was good in hard conditions, and I felt confident with the vehicle and I could push.
Advertisement
In terms of what we do on a race weekend I think we’re doing a very good job, we’re getting the best out of what we have and maximising the potential of what we have at the moment.
Sao Paulo – McLaren’s Fernando Alonso says he has been “on standby”, or economy mode, this season to save his energies for what the Spaniard hopes will be a much better 2016.
“It has been hard”, Alonso said.
“This year I do not fight for the championship but I’m happy in a team that supports me and I have a good salary, so I am happier than in previous years”.
Speaking ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix Button said: “We obviously need to take a big step next year, we know that, so it’s going to be a long hard winter but an exciting one as well”.
Button thinks people are surprised by the positive atmosphere at McLaren because the team has struggled so much for performance this year.
The two-time champion, who left Ferrari at the end of 2014 to join McLaren, says Honda’s “isolation” and its different approach will prove to be beneficial in the end. “I choose to believe this is the winning formula”.
Though Alonso has often prided himself on against-the-odds underdog achievements, he does not feel his driving this season has been very special.
“This winter is a very important one for us, to make those big changes and come out a lot stronger next year because we don’t want to be where we are”. But I don’t think it would be a problem.
It comes after McLaren-Honda boss Eric Boullier warned that a driver’s motivation is “like a flower than starts to wilt”, and Alonso’s admission on Thursday that he needs to “improve for next year”.
“If it will be another year of learning and preparing for 2017, it will be sad to do that from the beginning, but that would be a surprise for me if we are not very competitive next year because we have everything and the auto is responding well”.
“Having said that, I’m sure it’s more or less the same for everyone, especially with the high tyre pressures we have to run around here”.
Advertisement
“I would prefer to have more problems continuing tomorrow and in Abu Dhabi as well, so that we don’t have any problems in 2016”, Alonso added.
