No quick fixes for McLaren-Honda troubles

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says that there are no quick fixes for the problems facing the team.

That means McLaren is likely to struggle at the Australian Grand Prix in two weeks time. Ongoing electrical problems at pre-season testing have left them behind its rivals in terms of pace, reliability and mileage.

McLaren was hit by more problems in the final day of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

"Today was not the way we’d hoped to conclude the final day of pre-season testing," Boullier confirmed.

"Thursday’s electrical issues persisted, prompting us to make regular changes to the car throughout the day in order to identify what has been causing the car to lose power intermittently."

McLaren drivers fighting to keep frustrations under wraps

Boillier was able to find a slightly brighter side on which to look. "Although we’ve suffered a number of issues over the course of two weeks of testing, we’ve certainly learned a lot about the car.

"We know the problems that need to be addressed.

"Plainly speaking, they aren’t overnight fixes. But we’re hopeful both McLaren and Honda will be able to make progress on them ahead of Australia.

"The guys and girls in the team have worked tirelessly and relentlessly to keep moving us forward day-by-day. I’m incredibly proud and appreciative of the hard work and determination shown within the team.

"It’s not been an easy testing period for us by any stretch. But we’re as motivated as ever to turn it around and find the solutions we need to get us back on track and headed in the direction we need to go."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.