Tyre wear to be crucial, again

Official tyre suppliers Pirelli have announced that the 2013 tyres will degrade faster than last year’s but McLaren is confident that the MP4-28 will cope in fine style. It’s also banking on the sympathetic driving styles of Button and Perez giving it an edge in the tyre-wear stakes while also making the car development process more straightforward.

“We don’t know for sure yet but we think both drivers have similar needs,” said Whitmarsh in a possible reference to last season’s friction between Button and Hamilton. “One would imagine we’d be able to develop the car in harmony.”