So far, the McLaren-Honda is on track!
This time, the most talked-about duo in the world were discreet. The two cars experienced no major problems during Free Practice. But the hardest part is yet to come, performance-wise!
The assessment of the day for McLaren-Honda can be seen from two different perspectives. Compared to the private tests in Barcelona and the litany of problems encountered, Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne had the opportunity to drive properly in Melbourne. Combining the laps of both drivers, we reach a respectable total of 84 laps completed. That’s 4 more laps than the best score recorded by the team during their most productive day in private testing! However, the ordeal is far from over and the performance is not quite there yet…
Alonso: FP1 → 14th, 1:27.116 (18 laps) / FP2 → 12th, 1:26.000 (19 laps)
Captain of the ship, the double world champion has launched his 16th season in the premier discipline. But obviously, not everything is rosy on this side of the garage: Compared to winter testing, we had few problems! Each time we hit the track today, we gained knowledge. We tested new components, and they seem to be working well. That being said, we still need to maximize our potential by working tirelessly. We are far from the leaders on the timesheet!
Not satisfied with his fate, the former Ferrari driver even refused to give in to blind optimism. The idea of fighting in the middle of the pack does not excite the Iberian, let’s be clear: “I don’t care, really! I don’t pay attention to the mid-table order. We want to be world champions, get on the podiums, and win races. Whether I’m thirteenth, seventh, ahead of a Renault or a Force India… I don’t care at all!”
That said, Fernando Alonso is standing with his team, even opposing the rumors in the world of Formula 1 regarding the true performance of his car: « Our problems in Barcelona have been exaggerated. It was really sensational to read all those things, McLaren will be on the last row, they won’t be able to race, both cars will retire on the first lap… But when we are on track, we do our job. The team wants to improve day by day! »
Vandoorne: FP1 → 20th, 1:28.695 (14 laps) / FP2 → 17th, 1:26.608 (33 laps)
Far from the beginnings of a Lewis Hamilton on an ultra-competitive McLaren 10 years ago, the Belgian will have to be patient before experiencing the thrill of the heights. With his hands in the grease with his team, the native of Courtrai had to settle for the lower ranks of the standings.
But the satisfaction was elsewhere: The feeling with the car was OK. Even though I missed a bit of track time in FP1, we had a good FP2, accumulating laps. Doing consecutive laps was my main goal in order to best understand our settings. I felt more and more comfortable in the car. I am delighted that the set-up is moving in a good direction. I made nice progress between the two sessions, but I hope we make another one tomorrow during Qualifying!
Main leader of the accusations, Honda F1 boss Yusuke Hasegawa also highlights the promises of regained reliability during free practice. A small relief after a difficult winter…
« We have shown significant progress regarding reliability, without encountering any major problems. For tomorrow and the qualifications, there is an area of improvement that will make driving the car easier. Of course, we are not satisfied with our current position! »
Friday FP’s complete✔️ Getting to grips with the circuit and improving in the right direction. Lot’s of work to do overnight!✌️ #SV2 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/kbumLfl8E2
— Stoffel Vandoorne (@svandoorne) 24 mars 2017
