( CNN ) -- Honesty is often a rare virtue at the highest level of sport , especially when it comes to admitting mistakes , so McLaren fans may give Martin Whitmarsh some begrudging respect after the team principal accepted responsibility for a catalog of errors this season . The United Kingdom-based constructor may have won twelve drivers ' championships since its creation in 1963 but none will be added in the year of McLaren 's 50th anniversary . Neither Jenson Button nor Sergio Perez have managed to stand on the podium all season , with the Briton 's fifth place in the third race in China the best finish so far . Mexican Perez , 23 , has won 18 points in his first season with McLaren while Button , who won the 2009 title with Brawn , can only muster 47 , trailing leader Sebastian Vettel by 150 points -- or the equivalent of six race victories with just eight rounds left . The problem is that McLaren are currently on course for their first season without a grand prix win in seven years . A number of hasty changes to the car have made racing this year both `` painful and difficult '' for Whitmarsh as he revealed in an open interview with Formula One 's official website . `` This year we have made some big mistakes -- that is very obvious , and difficult to rectify , '' the Briton said . `` I do n't like it , but there is no point in hiding from it . '' The 55-year-old traces the roots of the problems back to the middle of last season , when McLaren dropped off the pace after a bright start . At this point , the car was redesigned , with significant changes to the height of the nose , the configuration of both the front and rear suspensions , as well as the bodywork and exhaust layout . `` In a word , we did too many things which were deviating from a car which was the fastest car about nine or ten months ago , '' the McLaren official said . `` The start of the 2012 was good , but then in mid-season we were falling behind and it is about that time that you make these decisions -- and then last year 's car became quicker and quicker . `` It was bad timing , it was misjudgment , and it was ambition . It is very clear in hindsight that we 've got it wrong . But let 's also be fair : this car is now quicker than last year 's car . '' Nonetheless , it is still struggling to make any impact in the constructors ' standings , with 11 races of the 19-round season having already gone . McLaren 's tally of 65 points is almost tripled by the team immediately above them in the standings , fourth-placed Lotus , while the Woking outfit 's total is dwarfed by the 312 boasted by Red Bull , who lead the way . When asked who should carry the can for the failed redesign of the car , Whitmarsh resisted any temptation to seek out scapegoats . `` Ultimately I take the blame for it , '' he said . `` I am happy to name names when we are successful and give them the opportunity to stand on the podium , but it is my job when things have n't gone so well to take the responsibility . '' Critics of Whitmarsh , who has been with McLaren for a quarter of a century , will point to the team 's inability to win a championship since he replaced the retiring Ron Dennis in 2009 , a year after the team 's last championship title . The closest McLaren came to a championship under his control was in 2010 when Lewis Hamilton had a chance of winning the title on the final day of the season , only for Vettel to take the glory . There has been some good news for Whitmarsh this week though . At Sunday 's Belgian Grand Prix , Button felt the car performed the best it had all season with the Briton , 33 , also publicly stating in recent days how he hopes to sign a new three-year contract with the team . Whitmarsh had considered trying to lure Kimi Raikkonen , who has been in great form this year , back to McLaren for next season , revealing that talks last year to the same effect failed `` for various reasons '' . However , he also feels he owes the current stable a car that will enable them to challenge far higher up the table . `` We have n't given our drivers the car we should have done this year . But they 've been fantastic ambassadors and I think they deserve another go with us next year . `` If we give them a car that is good enough , they both can win . We know that . '' And having had a front row seat for more than 100 of McLaren 's 182 grand prix wins , Whitmarsh is confident that the team can turn itself around ahead of the 2014 season . `` Looking over the last 20 years , we are pretty consistent , '' he rallied . `` Yes , this is a bad year but usually we come back strong -- and that is what we will do next year . ''
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh admits ' big mistakes ' in 2013 season . McLaren without a podium finish in year of 50th place . Whitmarsh says teammate Hamilton and Sergio Perez ` ` deserve '' to be at McLaren next season .