Jenson Button admits next two races crucial for McLaren F1 team

The Woking-based team has endured frustrating weekends in Valencia and at Silverstone, and is keen to ensure that it delivers in Germany and Hungary so it does not lose any further ground in the title battle.

With Formula 1 teams facing a summer shutdown after Hungary, Button says there is added significance to the next two grands prix.

"The final back-to-back before we head into the summer break will be important for the whole team: coming off the back of a couple of disappointing weekends," explained Button. "It's important that we capitalise on the opportunities available in Germany and Hungary."

With the team convinced that recent difficulties owe more to set-up issues than a performance deficit with the car, Button too thinks that a clearer picture of where McLaren stands should emerge.

"Performance-wise, I still think it's difficult to accurately predict where we stand in the competitive order - Valencia and Silverstone were certainly difficult races for us, but I don't think they were truly representative of our pace," he said.

"This year, you really need a problem-free build-up to the race if you're going to maximise the car's potential - and that's exactly what we'll be hoping for in Germany next weekend."

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh claimed that everyone at the outfit was focused on ensuring the team delivered better performance in Germany.

"There is a huge resolve within the operation to ensure that our aggressive development strategy is upheld across the summer," he said. "We are determined to narrow the gap to the championship leaders before the start of the summer break."

Lewis Hamilton will celebrate his 100th grand prix in Germany.