Former McLaren driver Jenson Button has questioned the wisdom of the team's claim they had the best chassis on the Formula 1 grid, a statement which has come back to haunt them as their current car - with Renault power - is nowhere near what they were expecting and has undermined the real progress the team have made.
Speaking to Sky ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, Button said, "McLaren came out last year and this year and said they think they might have the best car. It's a tall order to have the best car in Formula 1 when you're racing against Ferrari and Mercedes and Red Bull. And I think we've seen that isn't the case."
"So you'd say the season so far is a disappointment but if they didn't say they had the best car you'd say it's a great season for them. They've made good steps, they're fourth in the constructors' standings, but because of what they said at the start of the year you say maybe it's not what we expected."
The 2009 F1 World champion believes that McLaren's Spanish star Alonso is their greatest asset, "He's definitely one of the drivers you worry about. Whatever you're racing in, if he's competing - you're going to worry."
"He's not just quick. He's a very clever driver, he's got the experience and he is always there. If you have a great day, you might out-qualify him and you might have a great race but he will always be on your heels. He very rarely has a bad race, which is tough when you're team-mates with him," revealed Button.
Alonso is doing the 2018-19 WEC season in conjunction with his Formula 1 programme and got his sportscar career off to the best start by powered to victory with Toyota Gazoo Racing at the recent Spa 6-Hours
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