Monaco GP: Button eyes progress, not points

With his McLaren team having failed to finish inside the top ten in the last three races, if it does not score this weekend it will match a run of four non-scores it last experienced in 2009.

But Button believes the end result in Monte Carlo is not as important as his team delivering some steps forward with the understanding of its troubled car.

"We are obviously not in a fantastic place right now in terms of speed and finishing positions," said Button.

"I was asked what I would be happy with here, and I would be happy with a win. But we are not going to get that.

"I don't think the position is really what is going to make us happy here because it is not going to be a fantastic position.

"I think more what we get out of this weekend is how the car feels. If we feel we have made improvements with a better direction, that is when we will be happy. It won't be the points that we score.

"We know there is so much coming in terms of the development curve in the wind tunnel that I think we can be positive for the future. It is not the position.

"It is the feeling of the car that will be key for us."