F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Boullier hoping to sustain momentum in Hungary

McLaren-Honda racing director Eric Boullier is targeting more improvement from the Woking-based outfit in Hungary where the team hopes to sustain its upward trajectory.

McLaren's affairs have clearly improved recently although it obviously  remains at a long distance from its expectations.

Powered by Honda's latest spec engine, Stoffel Vandoorne made it into Q3 at Silverstone and  finished the race just outside the points. The Belgian then put a bulk of mileage under his belt at Magny Cours at a wet but productive Pirelli tyre test.

"Our pace at Silverstone was marginally better than we initially expected on what is considered to be a power-hungry circuit, and therefore a track traditionally more difficult for our car to adapt to," said Boullier.

"Hungary is a completely different proposition, and one that theoretically gives us optimism that we can put the strengths of our car to the test and better take the fight to our rivals."

Obviously, any positive performance at the Hungaroring will have to be preceded by impeccable reliability, McLaren-Honda's main weakness again this season.

"Together with Honda we're working hard to improve our reliability, and avoiding incurring grid penalties – especially on this track, where our car has the potential to perform more favourably, will be key to increasing our points tally.

"On the back of a successful tyre test with Pirelli, we hope to continue this momentum with a strong result in Budapest.

"Hopefully we can follow it with useful mileage during the post-race in-season test, which we'll as a platform for further development in the second half of the season."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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