McLaren expect tough Monza weekend

Another difficult weekend is on the cards for McLaren at the Italian Grand Prix and the team's main aim is to see both cars finish the race.

McLaren-Honda have taken a few steps forward after their nightmare start to 2015 with their highlight of the season coming in Hungary with Fernando Alonso finishing P5 and Jenson Button P10.

However, they slipped back at the Belgian Grand Prix last time out with both drivers outside the points as the Spa track is tough on the engine.

Next up is the Italian Grand Prix and racing director Eric Boullier admits they once again don't have high hopes of finishing in the points as Monza doesn’t suite the MP4-30.

"In terms of Monza’s characteristics, it’s another high-speed, low downforce track, and a unique challenge, with long straights and heavy braking," the Frenchman said.

"For this reason, we expect this race will be difficult for us in similar ways to Spa, but our aim is to finish the race with both cars and learn as much as we can from the weekend in anticipation of Singapore and beyond, where we’re hopeful of demonstrating improved pace."

Button, meanwhile, believes improving in qualifying will give them a better chance come race day.

"The key for us will be getting the maximum from the car on Saturday, to give ourselves a fighting chance of a good battle on Sunday afternoon," he said.

"Despite the issues, the car was well balanced in Spa and felt good to drive, particularly in qualifying, so we’ll aim to make the most of that in Monza, too, before we head to the fly-aways where there’ll be circuits that’ll suit our car’s strengths much better."