Jenson Button off to nightmare start as his car trails in ninth ninth

As if it were not galling enough for McLaren that their two cars finished a dismal ninth and 11th in the season's opening grand prix, consigning the team to what Jenson Button described as "difficult days", they also found themselves blamed by Red Bull on Sunday for causing Mark Webber to fall from second on the grid to seventh after the first corner.

Christian Horner, Red Bull's team principal, was furious in blaming an electronic control unit supplied by a McLaren subsidiary for sabotaging Webber's race. "Mark's problems were hugely frustrating - we lost all telemetry on the formation lap," he said. "It had nothing to do with Mark. You need to ask McLaren why the ECU didn't work and why it messed up his preparation, because he was blind. It is something that they need to get on top of."

It is not the only priority that Martin Whitmarsh and McLaren's technical experts must address before the Malaysian Grand Prix in six days' time, because their own drivers suffered an abject race weekend. Perhaps the most vivid reflection of the predicament engulfing Ron Dennis's operation is that Button, the 2009 world champion and winner in Melbourne for three of the previous four years, admitted he was content simply to have qualified inside the top 10.

"I went to the Paddock Club to say hello and everybody was asking, 'What is going on? You are tenth on the grid'," Button said. "I explained that we were happy because we know it was the best we could do. There was shock around the place. But we haven't given up."

This was McLaren's worst qualifying display in Australia for five years; not since 2008 had they suffered the indignity of seeing both drivers outside the top four. The race was scarcely more auspicious as Button was cut adrift by the relentless Kimi Raikkonen, while young Mexican team-mate Sergio Perez toiled forlornly among the back-markers.

"In these difficult days, it is important that we make the best of it," Button argued. "Everyone is quite down, because the team are used to winning. I have been winning grands prix for four years. You don't enjoy it but you have to have bad times and we must do what we can to get out of this. There have been non-stop meetings and discussions - there is an understanding that it is not okay. We know there are fundamental things that we have to change. We are doing everything we can to improve."

Principal Martin Whitmarsh, cutting a haggard figure on the pit lane wall, conceded that it might be unrealistic to expect McLaren to have solved all their problems by the time they arrive at Sepang later this week. "We will be working incredibly hard in the next few days, as we have a lot to learn about the car," he said. "It isn't good enough and it isn't it a good feeling. I am sure we will get it right, even if that might not be as quickly as I would like."

At least Lewis Hamilton, fifth in his maiden race for Mercedes, sounded optimistic. The contrast with the fortunes of McLaren, whom he controversially abandoned six months ago, could not be escaped. "It is far better than we ever expected in the first race of the season," said the 28-year-old, who had a chance to win before tyre degradation forced him to take his second pit stop early. "The car has made a significant step forward. We have a great platform to work from."