Jenson Button is hoping his McLaren can finally start to challenge for wins this season, starting with the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix, after a disappointing start to the year so far.
McLaren have been well of the pace this season, with both Button and Sergio Perez struggling to compete with the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault.
"During the first two races we were pretty happy with the performance of the car, especially in Melbourne -- and temporarily also in Malaysia -- although it is clear that we are still not quick enough," Button was quoted as saying by F1's official website.
"These three weeks since Malaysia have really been good for us to analyse the data that we have collected in the first two races. We are here with a few new parts that hopefully will help us, not only here but also for the development in the future.
"Looking back to Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur we've been three to four tenths off the quick cars, and I am pretty sure that we can pull that back in a few races.
"Regarding this weekend, I am very much looking forward to the race on Sunday, as the car was really good to drive in Malaysia, even if that didn't completely show today. There should be warmer conditions, so that should play a bit to our advantage."
Button was runner up here last year, and the McLaren driver wants another podium finish Sunday.
"Although this circuit is generally quite smooth, there are still a few big bumps in the high-speed sectors and this is normally our issue," the Brit added. "It sets it off and then it just doesn't stop bouncing.
"But we will find out if we've got this problem under control or if it still continues. My personal feeling is that it will be a bit better, because of the aforementioned changes that we have made to the car in the past three weeks.
"I was second here last year, but so much has changed from last season -- there is a lot more competition for us out there right now. But I feel that we've been able to dig ourselves out of a pretty big hole and steadily move forward. The real sweet feeling will be when we start fighting for wins again."
To watch Chinese GP Qualifying Live Streaming for viewers in the U.S., click here
