Despite missing out on Q3, Jenson Button has said he is encouraged with the pace and progress McLaren have been making so far in 2015.
Button looked set to make Q3 for the first time in 2015 however a yellow flag forced him to slow down on his fastest lap and thus could not improve his position of twelfth.
Button will start eleventh as Grosjean has been hit with a five-place grid penalty.
“There’s always a bit of ‘shoulda woulda coulda’ in qualifying, but I would have easily been inside the top 10 today.
“On my final lap in Q2, I lost a lot of time lifting for the yellow flag at Turn One. I then gained a lot of it back – I was only a tenth off my best – but it wasn’t enough. And I think we could have had some fun in Q3, too – I think we’d have been fighting two or three cars for position.
“The car felt really good – although we still don’t have enough outright pace – but I have a lot of confidence in it, especially under braking. Today’s performance shows the progress we’re making. The team has done a fantastic job this weekend, and they should be happy because the car is getting better all the time.
“This is a nice little stepping stone for the future. Our aim tomorrow will be to score points.”
Fernando Alonso failed to set a lap in Q2 due to another mechanical issue.
