McLaren CEO Zak Brown has admitted he and the British team are "under pressure" to start performing after another year mired in the midfield.
A switch from Honda to Renault power for 2018 was expected to see a significant jump in pace for the Woking-based outfit, potentially even making them legitimate challengers to the likes of Red Bull.
Instead, mechanical problems in testing and poor qualifying pace have left them behind the Renault works team for much of the season, even if Monaco's retirement marked Fernando Alonso's first failure to score this year.
That has seen some question if McLaren can once again become a championship contending team but Brown, who was brought in to lead that effort, remains defiant.
"I know we're under pressure, I know I'm under pressure," he told the official F1 website.
"Probably, if there's a frustrating thing - and you know because you know racing - it's that people don't understand just how long these things take.
"Right now, we just have to be head down, doing the hard work, focused, and with a clear direction."
The American did point to upgrades introduced at the Spanish GP which have made the team more competitive, adding that the strong correlation between the data gathered on track and in the windtunnel also bodes well going forward.
His issue is whether that pace of improvement will be enough to satisfy Alonso, who is being linked with McLaren's potential return to IndyCar from 2019.
This weekend, the double world champion reaches 300 Grand Prix starts in Montreal but admits expectations are low on a circuit which may not suit the MCL33.
"This will certainly be a tough circuit for us, but we’re making progress with our package race-by-race," said the Spaniard.
"A little bit of the drama or changeable weather conditions we’ve seen in Canada so many times in the past could offer us some opportunities – it’s up to us to take advantage of every possibility."
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Despite pace concerns, Alonso is looking forward to racing around one of the calendar's hidden gems.
"I’ve always enjoyed racing in Montreal," he said. "It has the best combination of a great track, challenging street circuit characteristics, and it’s a fun city to visit.
"I’ve enjoyed some great races in Canada and I won there in 2006, so it’s a special place for me. Even more so this weekend, when I’ll be celebrating my 300th Grand Prix."
