McLaren apologises to Webber

McLaren have apologised to Red Bull and Mark Webber after a software problem with an Engine Control Unit supplied by the team affected the Australian in the season-opening Melbourne Grand Prix.

Webber qualified second on the grid for his home race on Sunday, but a software-related issue with his car’s ECU saw him make a poor start and drop to seventh place by the end of the opening lap.

McLaren say they are working with Red Bull to prevent a repeat of the problem at future races.

“The electronic units themselves ran without incident in Melbourne, but there was a software-related issue that meant that Mark Webber’s Red Bull Racing car’s garage data system had to be re-started during the formation lap,” a statement from McLaren Group read. “That disrupted his preparations for the start of the race, for which Mark and the team has our apology.

“We are working together with them to prevent any recurrence.”