Eric Boullier thinks McLaren can build on its recent momentum in Canada despite the power dependency of the Montreal circuit.
Fernando Alonso finished fifth in the rain-affected Monaco Grand Prix, matching the team's best result from its debut year with Honda power in 2015. McLaren is still lacking power compared to its rivals but Boullier thinks the team can be competitive again this weekend.
"On paper, this power-hungry, demanding circuit is not among those that would play to the strengths of our car, but such is our rate of development that we are aiming to continue the momentum we've built over the last couple of races, and firmly push for more valuable points," he said. "It won't be easy, and reliability will be key, first and foremost, but our objective is to put on the best show we can for the incredibly enthusiastic Quebecois fans, and put our package to the test at the historic Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Though Button's eighth position in Monaco rounded off McLaren's most successful weekend of the season so far Boullier admitted the team cannot be satisfied.
"Monaco for us was a bag of mixed fortunes. A double-points finish was an encouraging boost for the team and a reward in some way for all the hard work going on behind the scenes in Woking, Milton Keynes and Sakura - but it's no secret that until we are back at the front, we cannot be satisfied. We had anticipated a stronger performance on the twisty, slower-speed, tricky streets of Monaco, but nevertheless we've learned a lot about our car and cannot be too unhappy given the incredibly difficult conditions on race day, which our two world champions coped with so well."