Coulthard hoping to bounce back

The team has a strong record at the Circuit de Catalunya and David Coulthard knows he needs a good result this weekend, if only to reassert himself as top Brit in F1 following Jenson Button's rejuvenation in an increasingly competitive Renault.

"There's no denying it was a disappointing weekend at Imola," admitted Coulthard, who finished sixth, one place behind Button, "However, McLaren has been working hard and we are now looking forward to the Spanish GP."

Last year McLaren had a difficult start to the season but Mika Hakkinen came close to winning the Spanish GP for the team, only to be thwarted by a broken clutch on the last lap. A similar change of fortune on Sunday would be most unexpected and managing director Martin Whitmarsh admits that the team has a hard slog ahead of it if it's to catch up with Williams and Ferrari.

"Our performance at Imola demonstrated that the team has significant work to do to ensure we move in the right direction," he said. "The team has the dedication and drive to achieve this progression and will continue to work hard between races to maximise the development of the entire package."

McLaren's last win came in the US GP at Indianapolis towards the end of 2001. Between 1998 and 2000 it won three consecutive Spanish GPs (all Hakkinen), recording one-two finishes in '98 and '99.