Alonso says McLaren MCL34 has some 'surprisingly good' qualities

Fernando Alonso labeled as "surprisingly good" a few elements of McLaren's 2019 MCL34 and said the team enjoyed a very positive two weeks in Barcelona.

The two-time world champion - who was officially announced by the Woking squad as a McLaren motorsport ambassador and advisor - checked in on the team's pre-season form earlier this week.

Both Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz topped the timesheet during several Test 2 sessions, showcasing the MCL34's relative speed and efficiency.

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Embedded in the team, Alonso got a detailed look of the performance of its 2019 contender, and so liked what he saw.

"I think we are learning a lot," said the two-time world champion.

"Even last week I was in contact with the team and I was aware of the debriefs and all the small problems and issues that we were finding.

"I think this week we confirmed the picture of the car so I think there are a couple of areas they need to revise and they need to keep developing to improve the performance.

"Some others are surprisingly good so they are happy with the results and generally I think it has been a very positive two weeks. It is not perfect yet but the direction is the right one."

While Alonso's presence on the McLaren pit wall in Barcelona was a talking point in itself, the big news was that the Spaniard will enjoy a few test outings onboard the MCL34 later this year as part of his technical collaboration with the team.

He will there have an opportunity to gauge for himself the car's qualities.

However, barring any exceptional circumstances, Alonso won't be returning to the grid this season. And as far as the 37-year-old is concerned, both Sainz and Norris are perfectly suited for the job of moving McLaren forward, a task for which he will also lend a valuable helping hand.

"I think it’s a good combination of drivers and a good fit for the team as well because a lot of the team is new and young and coming from different teams as well," he added.

"I think it’s a very good integration with a fresh approach and I think Carlos has probably more experience than Lando for sure with years in Formula 1.

"Lando has some natural talent but needs to be refined and with experience he will become stronger and stronger after the first Grand Prix.

"I think they are both well prepared and for me it’s more to make sure that what they feel and what they drive on track is well understood by the engineers because sometimes the drivers will speak one language and the engineers they understand differently.

"Otherwise the engineers will see lines on the data and they suggest set up changes that as drivers may be we are not asking for. I think that clarification is probably the biggest thing I can play especially with them that they are very new to the team."

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