McLaren comfortable with car's speed

Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa dominated the race at the Circuit de Catalunya, but Dennis has taken great heart from the fact that Lewis Hamilton was able to shadow the Ferraris throughout the event.

And that has given McLaren great optimism that further improvements to their car should keep them in the hunt for the world title.

"For us, we know we've got to do some more work - but that's fine," said Dennis. "The gap's closer than it was, and I think it's very clear to us where we have to improve.

"There's some things the car does very well, and generally it's really well balanced and handles well. But we need a bit more speed. We're pushing hard on aerodynamics and those things that can give you a tenth or two."

Dennis has no fears about the tracks coming up on the calendar, thinking that McLaren can have a good performance in Turkey and Monaco.

"No, I think we'll be strong," he said when asked if he thought Istanbul would be a Ferrari track. "We're looking forward to Monte Carlo because we've always been very strong there, but we're under no illusions - it doesn't mean we'll be good there this time.

"The car's particularly good in high-speed corners so we don't really fear any circuit any at the moment. All we've got to do at the moment, to be honest, is build a quicker racing car."

And Dennis concedes that there is little to choose between the top three teams, with BMW Sauber right in the mix with McLaren through the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

When asked if he felt BMW Sauber's pace showed the team were a match for McLaren, Dennis said: "It's a little early to say. I think competition is good in Formula One and close racing - it's what everybody wants.

"We'd prefer to have been stronger, but it wasn't a crushing defeat, it was competitive racing and I'm looking forward to the remaining races. We'll work hard and there's not much in it points-wise."