The news that Jenson Button had picked up a knee knock whilst filming on a jet ski for the BBC would have raised a wry smile from McLaren chief Martin Whitmarsh – the final box on a list entitled “all that could go wrong in the past month” had just been ticked.

There had been the collision between Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton in Canada. The outburst of the latter after the European Grand Prix about his team’s inability to win at Silverstone (not to mention his now infamous Monaco outburst). Ferrari’s recent giant leaps forward. Their drivers floundering in Valencia.

All in all it adds up to a pretty bleak outlook for the Woking-based outfit. Sure, there was the win for Button in Canada that defied logic, but when momentary bright spots are outweighed by vast expanses of darkness it is hard to believe that all is well with McLaren.

There has been a sense this year that McLaren have only just been able to keep concealed the turmoil that lurks behind the scene; Whitmarsh has been given ample opportunity to practice his poker face with the media as he repeatedly deals with questions over Hamilton’s latest outburst or Button’s flirtation with Ferrari, all the while maintaining that McLaren can deliver a race winnign car consistently.

“After a week for British sport that is best consigned to the past, the pressure is on McLaren to perform at Silverstone: Talk of diffuser trouble will hold little sway with a passionate crowd wanting the silver and red livery of McLaren on the front row.”

It just so happens that the British Grand Prix is approaching at perhaps the most critical point of the season. There is a feeling that the 9^th race of the season is last-chance saloon for the chasing pack to catch Championship leader Sebastian Vettel – and the fact that the diffuser ban kicks in from the British Grand Prix onwards only serves to add another layer of intrigue to an already engrossing prospect.

Despite his somewhat dramatic way of expressing his feelings over the race at Silverstone, Hamilton was ultimately telling the truth when he admitted he would struggle to compete on Sunday – and all their trouble stems from a less than spectacular pre-season.

While Red Bull had their set-up in place and was heavily testing well before the first race of the season, McLaren were still toying with their complicated octopus exhaust system amongst other things as the Australian Grand Prix loomed on the horizon.

Simply put, Red Bull have been able to test and hone and refine their car, staying on the front foot since, while Ferrari and McLaren trail behind trying to keep pace with the development of the championship leading side as they attempted to overcome their flaws.

All this means that when the diffuser ban comes round Red Bull should be the best placed team to cope with the changes – ominously for the chasing pack both Adrian Newey and Helmut Marko have insisted they are ready for when they change comes.

After a week for British sport that is best consigned to the past, the pressure is on McLaren to perform at Silverstone: Talk of diffuser trouble will hold little sway with a passionate crowd wanting the silver and red livery of McLaren on the front row.

McLaren have been backed into a corner with little option but to perform in front of an expectant crowd, but the worrying truth is that there is more than enough doubt surrounding their performance at the moment to conclude that they simply won’t be able to go for the race win; this could be a real low point for a team which prides itself on its championship-laden history.

If the European Grand Prix is anything to go by, Red Bull and Ferrari will remain out of the reach of Hamilton and Button for the time being.

The dark clouds are gathering for McLaren. They remain one of the most prestigious teams on the gird, but when Hamilton labelled Red Bull “Just a drink’s company” earlier this season, he missed the point. Those that dine out on past glories will eventually starve. It is now up to McLaren to show they still have the hunger for a fight.

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