Button: Catching up to Mercedes “will be hard”

It’s no secret. Since the beginning of the season, the Mercedes team has been leading the pack with four wins in four races, including three one-twos. But the real question is whether any team can catch up with the Silver Arrows in terms of performance.

Jenson Button, the experienced McLaren driver, spoke on the subject. Asked whether Mercedes could not be caught until the second part of the season, he responded to Autosport: « Yes, that’s what I think. »

His statements suggest that McLaren has already given up on the idea of competing on equal terms with the Star brand. The Englishman, a Formula 1 veteran, explains why: « We are constantly bringing updates, some more significant than others, but I believe it’s a lot to ask of a team to gain a second over the next two races. And that’s assuming Mercedes stands still, which is unlikely to happen. We have to be realistic; it will be tough. »

In fact, he even thinks it would be surprising for any team to match Mercedes’ performance: « Some people may exceed expectations and we could find out that we can compete with them, but I think it would be very impressive for any team to achieve that. »

In the end, Button is no longer concerned about first place. McLaren would rather aim to reach a level of performance to be “the best of the rest”. He is relatively confident: « We are light years away from Mercedes, but we are in a good little battle with five other teams.

We are not worried about what will happen later in the season. We believe we can develop faster than most teams.

Not content with having a large lead over their pursuers, Mercedes still has something left in reserve. That’s what McLaren’s sporting director, Éric Boullier, believes. He stated to Autosport, when asked if anyone could catch up with the Brackley team: It seems like when someone tries, they go even faster, I don’t know. I hope so. I think it’s possible for one team to do it, not most teams, but at least one.