McLaren racing director Eric Boullier believes his team's progress since the summer break was masked at the Belgian Grand Prix, but insists steps forward are being made.
Despite a significant upgrade to Honda's engine at Spa-Francorchamps, McLaren was still over two seconds off the pace in qualifying and finished a lap down on race winner Lewis Hamilton. The team's prediction for Monza is almost as bleak, but Boullier says progress is being made behind the scenes.
"Spa was a particularly unflattering race for our package, which disappointingly masked many signs of progress we were hoping to see after the summer break," Boullier said. "However, we always knew Spa would be one of, if not the, most challenging grand prix of the season, and we were certainly proved right.
"On the other hand, we also took some positives from the weekend and we're working hard to ensure we achieve the same consistent tyre performance and improved car balance that we saw in Spa-Francorchamps.
"In terms of Monza's characteristics, it's another high-speed, low downforce track, and a unique challenge, with long straights and heavy braking. For this reason, we expect this race will be difficult for us in similar ways to Spa, but our aim is to finish the race with both cars and learn as much as we can from the weekend in anticipation of Singapore and beyond, where we're hopeful of demonstrating improved pace."
Honda motorsport boss Yasuhisa Arai is also expecting a difficult race at Monza, but insists the team is now on the right track.
"Monza is another high-speed track which unfortunately does not suit our package. The drivers are on full throttle for most of the lap due to the long straights and fast corners, and since maximum power and minimal drag are key we know we have a big challenge ahead of us this weekend.
"We know we still have a lot of work to do, but we also know we're heading in the right direction to start achieving our goals. As always, the team will continue to work tirelessly, and we will remain determined and focused on the job at hand."