sutton-images.com Alonso reassures McLaren fans
07.03.2018
M cLaren slips off one during the winter tests Breakdown in the next. Loss of wheel, loose exhaust, defective battery, hydraulic leakage, loss of oil: no team has such a stained vest as the traditional racing team from Woking, England. No team managed so few laps in the second week of testing. Stoffel Vandoorne turned 38 lanes on Tuesday. Fernando Alonso one day later 57. That adds up to 95 pieces. Or 442 kilometers.
A lot of water compared to the three top teams. In the second week of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Mercedes has completed 352 laps so far. Red Bull 295. Ferrari 286. Nevertheless, Fernando Alonso lets himself be carried away to the statement: 'If the season started tomorrow, we would be ready.'
Alonso smiles before he starts his media round. One always has to be a little careful with such observations. But the journalists agree. It seems a bit tortured. Or to put it another way: Alonso makes a good face for a bad game. Instead of accusing his team, he protects himself in front of his team. His superiors will thank him. 'Of course we had planned to do more laps today,' says the double world champion. “But defects do occur during test drives. It used to be like that and it is like that today. The only difference is that there is a lot more coverage because there are a lot more journalists. Every red flag immediately triggers hysteria. ”
6:37 hours of downtime for McLaren-Renault
According to Alonso, the McLaren MCL33 has no serious problems. You already have the answers to the most important questions. Despite poor lap yield. “We found various little things yesterday. Despite fewer laps, we discovered something today. It is better if the breakdowns occur here than on the tenth lap of the race in Melbourne. ”
His fastest lap on the hypersoft tires puts the veteran in sixth position in the daily standings. McLaren concentrated on doing several short runs in the morning. Shortly after 11 a.m., the papaya-yellow racing car with the blue accents ran aground due to an oil leak in turn seven. McLaren changed the engine. The MCL33 therefore stood in the garage for six hours and 37 minutes. An engine replacement actually takes a maximum of three hours. Nobody knows what else McLaren was up to. Alonso only drove his car back onto the track 12 minutes before the end.
The Spaniard does not mind the lost time.Alonso attributes his serenity to the track and the conditions. “Everything you learn about setup here cannot be used in Melbourne anyway. And not in the race here either. Because then the temperatures will be around 30 degrees. “On Wednesday, the peak was 16 degrees. The strip of asphalt warmed up to over 30 degrees.
Alonso praised the Renault engine in the rear. “The drivability is very good. I noticed that last week, especially in the wet. The power unfolds nicely and evenly from every curve during acceleration. I can't say much about performance. I don't know what power levels the other drivers are using. I don't even know which engine settings I'm using. What I do know is that this engine won races last year. And that it has been revised for this year. ”Alonso plays the optimist. McLaren needs it while the test drives are in crisis again.
