Fernando Alonso says he is eager to assess how much McLaren-Honda has improved since last year’s Mexican Grand Prix, one of the toughest race weekends in an already difficult campaign.
Alonso and team-mate Jenson Button both took hefty engine grid penalties at the renovated Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez 12 months ago before the Spaniard had to retire on the opening lap with a loss of power.
Travelling to Mexico on the back of a strong fifth-place finish in Austin, Alonso eyes another competitive outing this weekend.
“[Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez] poses a very different set of challenges to many other circuits because of the compromise you need between good downforce on the fast straights and also strong balance in the twisty stadium section – and then there’s the altitude, which affects performance in itself.
“It will be difficult to bring all of the elements together to get the best out of a lap, but I’m looking forward to seeing where our package compares to last year.
“Given how tough the race is on our cars, I hope we can achieve good reliability and enjoy a better result on track this time.”
Button, who did not even take part in qualifying before struggling to 14th in Mexico last year, adds that McLaren-Honda will need to maximise the final sector of the reconfigured venue to further increase its 2016 points tally.
“I really enjoyed driving on this circuit last year. It wasn’t an easy track for us, but it’s a really rewarding layout for a driver,” said the 2009 world champion.
“Although the famous banked Peraltada wasn’t included in the re-profiled design, the mixture of the very high-speed straights and the infield section at the end of the lap does give you a bit of everything and it really puts a smile on your face.
“We were definitely strongest in the final sector around the stadium so we’ll need to put those strengths to good use if we’re to give ourselves a fighting chance next weekend.”
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