McLaren confirm fuel pump failure at Monza

20/09/2012

Mat Coch writes:

A faulty fuel pump ended Jenson Button's Italian Grand Prix early, McLaren has revealed. Initially the team was unsure as to why the 2009 world champion was forced out, however, it is now confident it has found and understood the issue.

"We were very disappointed about the retirement and it was really gutting to see the car roll to a stop," confessed Paddy Lowe in the latest Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Phone-In.

"It wasn't an easy one for us to identify," he continued. "It was a problem that we haven't had before.

With the problem understood Lowe is confident the team won't experience a repeat in future races. "We have fortunately managed to identify the root cause and it was a problem with the fuel pump," Lowe confessed. "It's something we have now completely covered for the remaining races."

The news will come as scant consolation for Button, who was running in second position when he was forced to retire. Parking his car on the approach to the Parabolica at mid-distance it effectively ended the 32-year-old's championship chances as he now trails title leader Fernando Alonso, who finished third, by 78 points.