 Coulthard and Raikkonen struggled with their cars in Australia |
McLaren need to improve their car in every area if they are to catch Ferrari, David Coulthard has admitted after the first race of the season. "We have the infrastructure to get it right - getting it right in time is the issue," he told the Daily Telegraph.
"It's not rocket science. We need more power, more aero [performance] and more mechanical grip. The car is just not fast enough," Coulthard added.
The Scot was an uncompetitive eighth in the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.
McLaren were off the pace all weekend in Melbourne, and their misery was compounded when Kimi Raikkonen became the race's first retirement, with engine failure after nine laps.
McLaren chairman Ron Dennis has called his top personnel to a crisis meeting this week to try to resolve the problems with the MP4-19 car.
Coulthard said McLaren's difficulties in Australia were compounded because they and tyre supplier Michelin had chosen a tyre that was too hard for the unexpectedly cool conditions.
That played even further into the hands of Ferrari, who use the rival Bridgestone tyres, which were better suited to cooler weather.
 |  Ferrari are in a league of their own at the moment |
The temperature dropped from 37C on the Wednesday before the race, when the tyres were selected, to 19C on race day. "We got it wrong, simple as that," Coulthard said.
"Bridgestone turned up with a brilliant tyre here, helping to make an already strong package even better."
That, though, does not explain why McLaren lagged some way behind other top Michelin teams like Renault and Williams.
Dennis said: "I am absolutely sure we have the resource and expertise to resolve the issues. How fast, we will have to wait and see.
"We do know where the weaknesses are.
"The performance of all the Michelin runners will be better in Malaysia. But Ferrari are in a league of their own at the moment."
MMIX
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