McLaren sets sights low

Neither driver expects to be able to fight at the front around the streets of Monte Carlo this weekend and merely hope to be able to perform better than they did in Barcelona. Coulthard finished tenth in the Spanish GP, one place above his team-mate, and both drivers were a lap down on the leaders.

"Realistically it is unlikely I will add another Monte Carlo win to my tally this year," said Coulthard, who has won the race twice before in 2000 and '02. "However hopefully we will be able to improve on our performance in Spain and take some points."

Given the apparent weakness of the MP4-19 chassis, the team's CEO Martin Whitmarsh is hoping that the drivers can make the difference on a circuit that is renowned for emphasising skill behind the wheel: "Both our drivers are confident on the streets of Monaco, with its unique characteristics, and will be able to push the car hard given its limitations.

"As we have previously outlined, there will be no overnight fix, but we have a clear development plan in place with regards the current issues."