F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Alonso not expecting Yas Marina to suit McLaren

Fernando Alonso says he does not expect the Yas Marina Circuit, which hosts this weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, to “naturally suit” his McLaren-Honda package.

Although the British team and its Japanese engine partner have made clear progress in 2016, the MP4-31 remains some way behind the front-running cars as the second year in the renewed McLaren-Honda alliance draws to a close.

While it has been efficient in low-speed corners, the car continues to struggle through high-speed sections and Alonso admits the characteristics of F1’s twilight venue will not play to the strengths of his Honda-powered machine.

“The faster first sector and the two long straights in the middle sector at Yas Marina mean that it isn’t a track that will naturally suit our package, but over the course of Friday we’ll work hard to dial in the car to make the most of what we have and extract as much performance as possible,” the double world champion said.

“It’s an interesting track to set the car up for, as although it’s in the desert, the track temperature cools a lot during the course of the race as we reach twilight, so the tyre conditions and grip levels are constantly evolving as we reach the chequered flag. It’s a really unique place and a great circuit to end the season at, and I hope we can push for a positive end to the year.”

Alonso adds that the 2016 season finale will be an emotional weekend regardless of the end result, as team-mate Jenson Button takes part in his final race before his sabbatical.

The Spaniard will also be two thirds through his current three-year deal at McLaren-Honda, with his future beyond 2017 still unclear.

“For McLaren-Honda, this race marks the end of a significant year for the team, and the last time I’ll race with my team-mate Jenson for the foreseeable future. It’s been a pleasure to work with him and I’ll miss him being in the garage next to me, but he’ll still very much be part of McLaren-Honda’s plans and I want to wish him all the best for the exciting things he has in store for the next step in his career.”

TECHNICAL: Under the skin of the McLaren-Honda MP4-31

INTERVIEW: Rob Smedley on Felipe Massa

2017 driver line-ups so far

FEATURE: When F1 team-mates fight for the title

SILBERMANN: A long-winded tribute to an often long-winded man

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Julien Billiotte

Recent Posts

Ferrari's Sainz 'not satisfied with where we are' in Vegas

It was a solid start to the Las Vegas weekend for Ferrari with Carlos Sainz…

25 mins ago

Norris labels McLaren long-run pace ‘shocking’ in chilly Vegas

Lando Norris didn’t hold back in his assessment of McLaren’s performance on the opening day…

2 hours ago

Hamilton delighted with ‘consistently strong day’ in Vegas

Lewis Hamilton was particularly happy with his opening day of running at the Las Vegas…

3 hours ago

Verstappen stuck with 'draggy' rear wing for Vegas

Red Bull fears that its prospects for this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix - which…

4 hours ago

Ferrari and Mercedes admit to plank changes based on FIA’s TD

Ferrari and Mercedes have both modified their car’s floor element in Las Vegas to comply…

4 hours ago

Las Vegas GP: Hamilton continues on top in second practice

Lewis Hamilton put Mercedes on top of the timesheets for the second time in Las…

5 hours ago