McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says his team has drawn extra motivation from the news that Jenson Button will remain as a driver for another season.
After months of speculation about his future, Button was confirmed as a McLaren driver for 2016 last week, staying on at the team despite its issues this year with Honda power. Boullier said the news gave the team a lift after another disappointing race at the last round in Japan.
"After the challenges and emotion of Suzuka, it's been a very important week for the McLaren-Honda team," Boullier said. "We've announced a new partner for the 2016 season and beyond, Chandon, and confirmed that Jenson will be continuing to race with us next year. Both of these announcements are incredibly motivating for the whole team, and we go to Sochi with renewed enthusiasm and excitement.
"There's still a long way to go until the end of the season, and every weekend counts as an opportunity to learn, develop and apply our knowledge and experience to next year's car. Sochi will be no different."
Button said it was a relief to confirm his plans and is now focused on the improvements McLaren and Honda can make for 2016.
"I'm really pleased that my plans for next year have been confirmed - I'm fully committed to this team and have strong faith in the incredibly hard work that's going on behind the scenes in Woking and Sakura," Button said. "We'll keep our heads down and keep pushing hard to improve our car at every race weekend."