British Formula 1 driver Jenson Button says he is convinced he has "a good base" on which to start the new F1 season.
The former champion was the first to put the new McLaren, the MP4-27, through its paces at the Circuito de Jerez in southern Spain.
Last February the team were on the back foot after problems with their new exhaust.
But a year on, and after completing 60 laps, Button was a happy man with no major problems with balance and grip on the new car.
"There are no niggly areas with the car, which is nice. It's quite different to last year," Button said.
"You're never going to start off with a perfect car, but I feel it is more together, and it feels a very good base for the coming days."
"So yes, it does feel very different to testing last year, which is a good thing really because it's not like we can stick on an exhaust that will give us two seconds at the first race."
Button will line up alongside former F1 champion Lewis Hamilton in the new McLaren car.
Button ended eighth on the timesheet, almost two seconds down on the returning Kimi Raikkonen in his Lotus, although timings are irrelevant where testing is concerned.
Raikkonen was also happy with his testing. The 2007 champion said: "It was a positive first day and everything went almost to plan."
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