Button feels McLaren are better prepared

Former world champion Jenson Button said McLaren had been able to look at several different aerodynamic configurations this week.

Button said a considerable amount had been learned during the testing in Barcelona, adding that everybody felt comfortable ahead of the opening Grand Prix in Australia.

"It's positive to finish our testing programme on a good note, with 121 laps. It's meant we've been able to look at a number of different aerodynamic configurations, and learn a lot about the car and how it behaves, which is really useful given that there's only 10 days until we fly to Melbourne," added Button.

McLaren produced a dismal campaign in 2015 and all of the talk since then has centred around the effort that the team has put into improving the team's prospects this term.

"It's great that we've been able to complete a lot of mileage over the two tests, which has been really useful to get feedback on the power unit, the aerodynamics and a bit of the set-up work done as well. It's also allowed us to do a lot more system checks and integration – which gives us a definite advantage in terms of preparation compared to last year," added Button.

Button acknowledges that the journey is not over yet, adding that there was still a way to go. 

"We still have a lot of work to do, and the windy conditions have made it quite difficult to really work on the set-up of the car, but it's something we've all had to deal with," added Button. 

"This afternoon, as we got more laps under our belt, we started to get to grips with the balance and handling, and evaluate different options for the first race. I still don't feel like we're ready – there are still a lot of changes that will be made on the car before it's in full race trim – and you always seem to need more testing than you have, to find the balance you want for the first race, but we have the experience to do that when we get to Melbourne."