McLaren still 'optimistic' about British Grand Prix chances despite struggling in Valencia

Both Button and Hamilton were unable to challenge Red Bull Racing and Ferrari's leading drivers as they struggled with tyre degradation at the European Grand Prix.

After the race, both drivers urged the team to deliver improvements to the car - and Hamilton conceded that his world championship chances were effectively over because he was now 89 points adrift of Sebastian Vettel.

But Whitmarsh is refusing to throw the towel in yet, and says that improvements in the pipeline for Silverstone - which could include a revamped DRS wing - plus different track conditions, could help his team return to form.

"There has never been a car that has had enough power and enough downforce," said Whitmarsh about the comments his drivers had made.

"You are working all the time to do that. We were not exploiting the tyres correctly; we were struggling with traction - and that was not to do with downforce, that was tyre temperature."

He added: "But I am an optimist. We plan to go to Silverstone with some new things; we will have new parts and possibly a new rear wing - various bits and pieces.

"Silverstone is very different to here. Anyone who stands here and say I am sure we will be back with the quickest race car would be rather foolish, but we will see how we get on.

"We've had a difficult afternoon, but we had three races with the quickest race car and we just did not have the quickest one here. This is not the intention and we will be working hard to develop the car to be quicker at Silverstone."

Hamilton's difficult afternoon in Valencia left him in no doubt that Sebastian Vettel was well on course to take his second world title.

"He has pretty much won it," Hamilton was quoted as saying by the British press. "It's finished really, in the sense of the championship. Unless he doesn't finish the next 10 races, which is very unlikely, then he is gone.

"We just can't beat Red Bull right now. They would need to fall off the track for me to beat them. There was over a second per lap difference today. That is just ridiculous."