Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button flew out to Kuala Lumpur in the same frame of mind but for very different reasons.
The British duo were both left surprised by their finishing positions in Sunday’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix and are in no doubt there is plenty of room for improvement.
Although Hamilton was happy enough after enjoying a solid debut for Mercedes, Button has been left wondering where it has all gone wrong for McLaren.
For Hamilton, there is a certain sense of vindication after all the criticism he faced when he announced he was quitting McLaren after 13 years with a team that had nurtured him into Formula One.
After qualifying third and finishing fifth at Albert Park, Melbourne, Hamilton said: “For all of us, we were not expecting to be competing where we were but we could have done better.
“We still take a lot out of the race, we’re positive and for the next race (in Malaysia on Sunday) we will be even stronger.
“We have a good development platform now, and I am really happy with the result. Who would have thought I’d be competing at the front when everyone was talking us down?”
As for Button, simply scoring his two points for ninth place was “a bonus” as McLaren are yet to understand the car they have developed for this year.
Throughout most of the weekend in Melbourne, team principal Martin Whitmarsh appeared ashen in answering questions about the MP4-28 but was at least honest to admit his marque’s failings.
Hard to believe just four months ago McLaren finished last season with wins in the United States and Brazil, the latter with Button at the helm, yet were fortunate to claim a top-10 place on Sunday.
“For any team that works so hard through the winter, to arrive at the first race and not have the performance, is tough for all of us,” said Button.
“For it to be a top team like McLaren, who have achieved so much and also had strong years over the past three years, even though we didn’t win the championship, it’s really tricky for us.
“We want to improve but it is going to be a long journey for us I think.”
That journey has led to speculation McLaren could even resort to resurrecting last year’s car.
Asked whether that was a possibility, Whitmarsh said: “It’s not an option for Malaysia, no.”