De la Rosa upbeat about McLaren form

Pedro de la Rosa believes McLaren are as fast as their rivals ahead of the start of the 2007 season, but admits there is still work to do

The British squad have often topped the timesheets during pre-season testing, and their form over long runs suggests they could be among the favourites to win in Australia.

Test driver de la Rosa has admitted McLaren are working calmly because they have had no reliability problems, and the Spaniard expects the team to arrive in Australia in top form.

"We are looking pretty good and the car is quick," de la Rosa told his country's Marca newspaper in an interview.

"I wouldn't say it's the quickest, because we can't tell after two or three good tests, but we are at the same level of the best. The car is going to improve and we have a lot of new things that will arrive over the next weeks.

"We are calm because our reliability is very good and that gives you confidence to test things and arrive in Australia in good shape. We are competitive, but we don't know how much."

De la Rosa's comments come after world champion Fernando Alonso said McLaren's new MP4-22 was not yet ready to win.

"It's normal," de la Rosa said of Alonso's comments. "What do drivers want? More power and more grip, that's the 'ABC' of a Formula One car.

"We want more and we have to work to get it, and I think we will. The car we have now has nothing to do with the one we'll take to Australia."