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.
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'. It is such a shame because the team in every other area are doing such a good job," said Button.
In Belgium, Lewis Hamilton could do nothing to avoid the accident at the first corner which forced him into retirement. However, 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.
Button added: "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.
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 Whitmarsh. "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."
