Alonso helpless in the face of Honda’s impressive engine deficit
One race follows another for McLaren-Honda. Both cars retire before the finish, and Fernando Alonso continues to throw out shock sentences...
Alonso has never raced with so little power.
The radio message of the weekend will certainly be that scathing sentence uttered by the double world champion. We are then on the 27th lap, and the McLaren driver has just suffered a setback. Overtaken by Kyvat and Palmer, the Spaniard was desperately trying to hang on to the points race: « How can they overtake me like that? They are 300 meters behind me and overtaking me on the straight. I’ve never raced in my life with so little power! »
Afterward, the anger had clearly not fully subsided. The former Ferrari driver added more: « The deficit we had in the straights was impressive. Sometimes, I looked in my mirrors at the beginning of the straight. I saw the car 300 meters away, I forgot about them. So I made changes on my steering wheel. But at braking, they were next to me! We are too vulnerable, there is no way for us to defend ourselves!»
As cruel as the “GP2 Engine” comment at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2015, this phrase illustrates the anger of a driver who knows he is stuck in endless problems. As usual, the Asturian bull had a good start. He took advantage of the safety car to execute a first tire change on lap 13. After battling with the drivers mentioned below, he withdrew once again due to abnormal behavior of his car, in line with the reliability issues encountered earlier in the weekend.
As a precaution, his mechanics had him return to his pit box two laps before the finish: « We tried to get closer to the points. We almost did it because we were fighting for 11th place. But it wasn’t enough. We have to keep working. »
The Spaniard’s chagrin was such that he himself wondered if Stoffel Vandoorne ultimately had the better role this Sunday: « Sometimes, I indeed thought of Stoffel and wondered if it was good or bad for him to have retired so early! »
Despite the gift offered by Zak Brown, rumors of departure have started to spread in the paddock. According to the German newspaper Bild, the Renault team already has a serious interest in the Spaniard. Discussions may have already been opened between the two parties!
Vandoorne stuck in the garage
12 months after the joys of a first Grand Prix, Stoffel Vandoorne experienced the other side of the coin at Sakhir. A water pressure problem forced his team to keep the car stationary. The Belgian didn’t even join his fellow racers on the starting grid. After biding his time in Japanese Super Formula, how tough the beginnings are for the native of Courtrai!
« We knew from the start of the season how difficult the situation was going to be. I have a very good relationship with the team. I hope we will overcome these problems. I am confident that I will do a good job when everything falls into place! »
Like in 2015, the McLaren-Honda duo is still scoreless after three races. But unlike that year, the Marussia-Manor team has disappeared from the scene. The battle for the last place might be in sight with the Sauber team…
Getting a post-race grilling from @HillF1 & @SimonLazenbySky. Not a great day but important to tell it like it is to our British fans. pic.twitter.com/hBnyhTTCNO
— Zak Brown (@ZBrownCEO) April 16, 2017
