Jenson Button eager for McLaren to quickly move on from recent car failures

Lewis Hamilton leads the way at the Singapore Grand Prix yesterday (AFP)

Jenson Button has called on McLaren to quickly resolve their recent car failures to avoid the season ending in abject disappointment.

McLaren have only managed to get one car home in each of their last three races, a fact which has seriously undermined their challenge for the Formula One world titles.

In Belgium, Lewis Hamilton could do nothing to avoid the accident at the first corner which forced him into retirement.

But it is the last two races which have proven particularly galling for a team that prides itself on reliability.

Running second in Italy, Button was forced out with a fuel system issue, whilst in Singapore on Sunday a gearbox problem wrecked Hamilton's hopes of a win in a race he was comfortably leading.

With McLaren trailing Red Bull in the constructors' championship by 38 points, it is obvious to see how crucial the potential 43 lost are to their cause.

"It is affecting us in the constructors'," Button told Press Association Sport.

"It is such a shame because the team in every other area are doing such a good job.

"But two failures in two races is not what McLaren are about, so we have to solve these issues and move forward.

"The pace of the car is there, so that's why it is tough as well. We know we are throwing away a lot of points - 43 in the last two races - so yes, it is pretty tough."

Other issues throughout the season have added to McLaren's woes, leaving Hamilton and Button 52 and 75 points adrift of title leader Fernando Alonso with six races remaining.

Hamilton said: "We've had far too many bad races this year, and that is probably why we're in the position we're in."

After eradicating the errors that undermined the early part of McLaren's campaign, team principal Martin Whitmarsh now finds himself dealing with more problems of a different nature, but convinced both championships can still be won.

"Reliability, performance, eliminating mistakes, all those things are important," said Whimarsh.

"We're inevitably disappointed with what has happened. At the moment it feels tough, but these things happen.

"We're a strong team, Lewis is showing great character, and we'll focus on the six remaining races and see if we can win them. We'll keep pushing.

"The situation is obviously a lot tougher now, but we're not giving up, and certainly Lewis is not giving up because it's still doable.

"A lot of things can still happen in this championship, and as I've said all along it's going to be determined in Brazil (the final race) I believe, and therefore we have to keep pushing.

"It's our job now to look it and say 'There are six races, Lewis can score 150 points, so they (Ferrari and Alonso) have to score 100. It is still quite a lot of points, so there's a long way to go yet."

PA