Haug says McLaren need more time

The British squad have endured a disappointing start to the season, failing to win in the first eight races and having finished on the podium five times. McLaren, last season's runners-up to Renault, are currently 47 points behind the French squad.

The team are working hard to return to winning ways, but Haug believes they will need more time but he is convinced they will get there eventually.

"We all have to work hard to become as competitive as we have been last year; five podium finishes in eight races do not reflect what this team is capable of and what we had planned," said Haug ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.

"These improvements cannot be achieved overnight; however we will achieve them within a manageable period."

Kimi Raikkonen enjoyed a competitive British Grand Prix ten days ago, but was still unable to fight with Fernando Alonso for the race win.

The team tested intensively at the Paul Ricard circuit since then in order to move forward and arrive in the North American races with a better chance to shine.

"The test has been a focus of our intensive programme of testing and development, as we still need to find performance in the MP4-21, and there is a lot of determination within the team to bring this to the track," said the team's F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh.

"With the front row grid slot and podium at Silverstone, we are moving in the right direction but there is more work that needs to be done to catch up with our prime competitors."