McLaren racing director Eric Boullier is confident the ailing team will be back in the mix this weekend.

Following a positive start to the campaign in Australia, where rookie Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button were second and third, McLaren have failed to score a point in their last two races.

The team came off the rails in Bahrain and China. Clutch problems accounted for both Button and Magnussen in Bahrain, and in China a lack of pace and downforce saw the duo finish a lap down on winner Lewis Hamilton in a miserable 11th and 13th.

Asked whether they will be more competitive in Barcelona Boullier said: “Definitely. This is 100% sure. What we have seen on the track has been one thing, but back in the factory we know what is going to happen in the next three or four races.

“What we have picked up over the past few weeks is good, very good. While not all of the steps we have taken will be in evidence in Barcelona, they mark the start of a fresh push and spirit within the whole organisation.”

Button, in his fifth year with McLaren, said: "We’re still at the early stages with our car, and for us it’s less about the components we fit to it, and more about the bigger picture and finding a useful direction, gaining trust in our measurements and pushing ahead.

“We all know this team has the capacity to develop a car through a season, so I hope and trust we’ll start to push forwards again soon.”