McLaren: higher and higher, even at Monza?
The Woking firm's experienced drivers both reached the top 10 in the day's two sessions. A rewarding day for McLaren, despite a number of minor incidents which affected Fernando Alonso's car in particular.
Alonso: a « surprise » to consider Q3!
FP1: 13th -> 1:25.507 (14 Laps); FP2: 7th -> 1:24.259 (24 Laps)
Will the upturn continue at Monza for the 2005 and 2006 world champion? After a beautiful seventh place finish at Spa, Alonso’s first day in Lombardy proved very interesting, particularly in its second half. Climbing up to seventh position in FP2, the former Ferrari driver surprised himself:
We did not expect to place both our cars in the top 10 here; this is very good news!
With this great position, Alonso was only two-tenths behind Ricciardo’s Red Bull, in sixth. That said, Alonso is first aiming for a simple passage into Q3 this Saturday.
« We are close to Q3, it would be a surprise to reach it because we didn’t expect this this morning!
But let’s keep our feet on the ground: we know that the qualifications will set us back a bit in the hierarchy.
To do this, technical issues will need to be avoided. The Spaniard indeed suffered from a hydraulic problem at the end of the first session. After a lunch break rushed by his mechanics, he was able to start FP2 at the scheduled time. And this afternoon, a small clutch problem also deprived him of a few minutes of running time.
« Our reliability was not perfect today – there’s always room for improvement here and there, but there was nothing too serious. Nevertheless, we must pay attention to every small detail if we don’t want to lose points, which is what matters most! »
From a general perspective, despite the evident progress recently displayed by Honda and McLaren, Alonso believes that the Japanese engine manufacturer still has work to do ahead of 2017.
« We are happy and confident with our chassis, so we can do a good job and close the gap on Mercedes. But we still have a long way to go before having a top engine, so we need to make a big step forward this winter. »
Before that, his goal will be to reach Q3 for the 5th time this season. As a reminder, his best qualifying performance was in Hungary, with a 7th place on the grid.
Jenson Button in unison with his teammate: a Q3 is indeed possible!
FP1: 11th -> 1:25.351 (23 Laps); FP2: 10th -> 1:24.549 (28 Laps)
Asked about the prospect of a Q3 this Saturday, Button replied: The Q3 is attainable: we didn’t do anything different compared to other Fridays, so it is truly possible. Although this circuit is the toughest for our car, the pace wasn’t bad today.
The 2009 world champion could have even improved his time this afternoon if he hadn’t been hindered by Räikkönen’s Ferrari! But the driver didn’t use this minor incident as an excuse, focusing first on his personal performance:
The race pace is OK, but there is still room for improvement on a flying lap. So we still need to work before being truly competitive and fighting for big points. A bit more work tonight, and we hope to be even stronger tomorrow!
Finally, let’s note that the Briton also succumbed to the “Halo” trend by doing an installation lap this morning at the start of FP1. It was indeed the first time this safety device was installed on a McLaren. Verdict?
The halo system was ok this morning, we didn’t encounter any problem with it. Maybe it’s more difficult to see the start/finish line lights or for pit stops, but there are still plenty of opportunities to improve it. I still had a strange sensation: at over 300 km/h, I wasn’t focused as usual on the next corner but on what I had above my eyes!
