Jenson Button has admitted that the
Honda team faces a vital test at
Jerez this week after a disappointing performance in the German Grand Prix.
The Briton produced his best qualifying performance in some time at Hockenheim, making it through the second stage of qualifying for the first time since Monaco, but then struggled for pace in the race itself.
Indeed, Button ended the race down in 17th place and was the only driver not to finish on the lead lap and he admitted that there was work to be done now during the test to try and cure the problems encountered on race day.
"It was a tough race from start-to-finish," he told his official website. "The car didn't perform as we'd hoped it would, so we need to learn why that was and not make the same mistake in future. I had confidence in the car during qualifying, but that wasn't the case today [Sunday].
"Given the performance of the car, this [Jerez] is quite an important test for us. We need to establish what our problems were in this race prior to trying the upgraded parts. The car wasn't too bad at Monaco, so, looking ahead, I hope we'll be more competitive at the next race in Hungary."
Team boss Ross Brawn agreed with Button that the test in Spain would be vital to the team's chances during the remainder of the season, with a number of new parts set to be tested during four days of running.
"We have a four-day test in Jerez next week when we will be evaluating our new rear suspension, which we are optimistic about," he said. "We also have the latest update to our aero package, so I think those two elements combined should enable us to make a step forward in Hungary."
