McLaren drivers happy with Friday's work despite exhaust issue

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Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne both completed the work they were assigned despite an early issue which impacted the pair's running in FP1.

Early on Friday, the McLaren crew detected a minor problem around the exhaust of Alonso's MCL33, the team resolving the issue on both cars in the first hour of free practice.

When running resumed, the McLaren drivers got down to work, enjoying a trouble-free and productive FP2 session as both sides of the garage focused on set-up work.

Alonso was happy to be back in the groove, finishing his day with a promising eighth fastest time.

Hamilton leads the way in Melbourne's opening practice session

"It’s good to be back in the racing spirit, and it’s a nice feeling to be with all the cars on track after the lonely winter tests where you are the only car per team on track and have empty grandstands," said the Spaniard.

"Being the first day of the season, there were a lot of things we wanted to test. However, the weather conditions will be changeable from tomorrow, so we need to be careful with the information we have gathered. "

Alonso was unfazed by the morning's gremlins, but admits challenging conditions could lie ahead.

"We lost a little bit of time in first practice with some issues but we managed to recover everything in the second session, and now we need to analyse everything to get the best package for tomorrow.

"The weather is going to affect everyone and we’re used to these changeable conditions here, so hopefully we can maximise every opportunity."

Vandoorne was equally satisfied with the results of his workload and P10 position on the timesheet.

"The issues we had weren’t big problems, and we got on top of everything pretty quickly," he said.

" I think we’re in reasonable shape and the feeling in the car is positive – it feels like we’ve got something to work with.

"Everything is running as we want it to, and we just need to keep pushing forward to gain performance."

Vandoorne said he was actually looking forward to Saturday's running, despite the prospect of seeing Albert Park hit by a bout of... Belgian weather!

"The most important thing was to go through our programme and we did that, and I’m excited about the possibility of running in a wet qualifying tomorrow.

"I think we’re in a very close group with some other teams, and the conditions will make things a bit more difficult for everyone.

"Hopefully we can benefit from the rain that’s on the radar this weekend and make the most of it."

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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.