McLaren’s woes have only deepened, despondent lead driver Jenson Button said after the Canadian grand prix.
Before Montreal, team figures sounded confident the great Woking based outfit was making slow progress towards bringing the uncompetitive MP4-28 to the front of the field.
Then came Canada, where even McLaren’s long streak of mere points finishes came to an end.
"We’re clutching at straws," 2009 world champion Button said after a weekend of qualifying 14th, and finishing twelfth.
"I’ve never been so pleased to get out of a car," he admitted. "It was quite painful out there. It (the gap to the front) is massive. We got lapped — easily lapped.
"It was like we were in a different category.
"It’s really difficult at the moment to know where to look (for improvements). It’s a big gap."
Nonetheless, Button saw some reason to be upbeat ahead of his and the British team’s home race at Silverstone in three weeks.
"Are we going to be quicker there? Yes," he asked and answered rhetorically.
"We’re not going to be on the podium I don’t think, but getting into high points has got to be our aim."