Button and Alonso successively stopped on track, an average pace: McLaren had a better Friday
Is the glass half-full or half-empty? After some promising results at Monza on an unfavourable circuit, the McLaren-Honda duo were certainly expecting a slightly more interesting Friday in Singapore, marked by a fairly average performance and a few reliability problems.
On this slow, traction-favoring circuit, the supposed progress of the McLaren-Honda remained scarcely visible. Fernando Alonso barely secured a spot in the top 10 in FP2 before having to park his MP4/31 in an escape road at the very end of the session due to a gearbox problem. Earlier, Jenson Button caused the first real yellow flag of FP1, stopping briefly on the track just before the pit lane entrance. Consequently, his McLaren had to be pushed by the marshals to cover the few meters separating it from his garage.
Alonso points out what isn’t working
FP1: 11th -> 1:48.202 (21 Laps); FP2: 9th -> 1:45.779 (30 Laps)
To be honest, our expectations before the start of this weekend were higher. But I must say here that the circuits following Singapore will be even more beneficial for our car.
« We will have to fight to get into Q3 tomorrow. I think the Force India and Toro Rosso drivers will be quite strong. Fortunately, we expect to gain a few tenths by the next session, so we will be in the battle for the last four places. »
« Our biggest problem remains a lack of overall grip – we need to find more support, thus we will make our tires work better on the flying lap. It’s not easy to overtake here, so having a good place on the starting grid is something very important »
Let’s note here that, like Lewis Hamilton (or Nico Hülkenberg), the double world champion was out on track at the start of FP1 to test the Halo. After hearing [about Lewis Hamilton’s](https://www.example.com) one, it’s time for the Woking driver’s turn:
The first impression is that it takes more time to get out of the car. Our visibility is also reduced, but I believe that one can quickly get used to it. There is, of course, work to be done in terms of design and access to the seat, but I’m sure everyone will use it in the future.
Jenson Button astonished by the potential pace of his close competitors
FP1: 16th -> 1:49.615 (20 Laps); FP2: 12th -> 1:46.574 (30 Laps)
The future almost-retiree from the team seemed much more pessimistic than his teammate after the two free practice sessions.
« There is still a lot of work to do before we are competitive. We struggled in both sessions; it seems to be due to low grip, especially compared to the cars in our times. »
The 2009 world champion is wary of the two Toro Rosso drivers. « These cars are just phenomenal in terms of pace over long stints, compared to us. To tell you the truth, it’s a big surprise. But even saying that, we can still make progress tonight – it will be very busy for sure! »
