McLaren's Formula One car is struggling for pace

McLaren have scored just four points in the first two races in Australia and Malaysia, while lead driver Kimi Raikkonen has retired in both.

Managing director Martin Whitmarsh said: "We started to move in the right direction with regards to our competitiveness in Malaysia.

"However, we are looking to make another performance gain in Bahrain."

McLaren test drivers Alexander Wurz and Pedro de la Rosa have completed 1,200 miles of testing in the MP4-19 car trying to improve its performance.

The car was more competitive in Malaysia than in Australia, but a sixth place finish for David Coulthard in South East Asia was still some way from what McLaren expect.

Team profile: McLaren

Sources close to the team have told BBC Sport there is little reason to believe the car's performance has improved in the two weeks between Malaysia and Bahrain.

The McLaren's main weakness is perceived to be its Mercedes engine, which is struggling for reliability and power, although the team cited a transmission failure for Raikkonen's retirement in Malaysia.

Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug said: "Our clear target is to achieve absolute reliability in the races and practice sessions and to improve our lap times from race to race.

"The Bahrain Grand Prix is therefore a challenge in every respect."