Dennis: consistency key to beating Ferrari

Although Fernando Alonso managed to split the Ferraris in qualifying for tomorrow's Malaysian Grand Prix, the general consensus remains that Ferrari still have the edge over long run pace.

And it is in improving the ability of his car to look after its tyres that Dennis thinks will be key to allowing Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton to fight stronger in the races.

"We know we have made progress," said Dennis when asked to rate how much he believes McLaren have closed the gap to Ferrari. "I think based on the previous qualifying sessions and practice I would have thought that we have a very competitive car.

"We cannot predict whether (Felipe) Massa has fuel or not, but tomorrow will show whether that is the case. So we have the pace.

"The challenge now for us is getting that last bit of understanding about consistency in respect of the tyres. It is a challenging task to fully understand how you can keep the tyre on pace and not lose the balance, but clearly we are mastering it better than most and we are very focused on it.

"We understand what we have to do, and we are very encouraged by the progress we are making with regards to changes we will introduce in Spain. But we still intend to go to Bahrain with a tenth or two progress from where we are. I think we made good progress since the Australian Grand Prix."

Dennis thinks that the main way of sorting out the tyre issue is in not getting the rubber too hot over long runs. Ferrari's ability to keep its tyres cooler than McLaren could explain why the F2007 is not so fast in qualifying trim.

"It is a very fine line," said Dennis. "Once you are the right side of it you are in good shape, but when you are the wrong side of it you struggle. And when you are really the wrong side of it you are history.

"I think that in our performance we are sort of one side either side of the line. We are not that far from away, we are close, hence our qualifying performance, and maybe in some circumstances we might even be surprised by our own pace."

Although McLaren were one of several teams who had to alter their floor design following the FIA rule clarification on the area after Australia, Dennis is confident that their pace has not been hurt at all.

"I am sure everybody, including us, had to modify their cars against the interpretations that came out from the FIA between Australia and now. We don't think it has hampered our own performance, we have pushed forward on other areas of development, and if it has hampered other people is for other people to worry about."