McLaren completed fewest laps in winter testing after multiple breakdowns; Boullier optimistic problems have been fixed but "not expecting miracles"
Thursday 13 December 2018 15:48, UK
Eric Boullier says McLaren have "addressed" all the reliability issues which blighted their winter testing ahead of the Australian GP.
The team had hoped for a smooth pre-season after switching from Honda to Renault power units but were once again plagued by unreliability over the eight days of testing as they finished bottom of the lap chart.
The second test in Barcelona saw the MCL33 break down on track on five separate occasions, before Fernando Alonso posted the third-fastest time of testing in the final minutes.
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Racing director Boullier is optimistic the former world champions have resolved their problems ahead of this weekend's opener in Melbourne, exclusively live on Sky Sports F1, although he conceded the team is managing expectations.
"We didn't have the reliability we had hoped for in winter testing, but all the issues we faced have since been addressed back at the factory," he said.
"There's a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes to ensure we leave no stone unturned in our quest to extract the maximum pace we can from our new package from the first race.
"Melbourne is a venue that the whole team loves going back to, to kick off the new season. It's a vibrant city, the fans are incredibly enthusiastic and there's that palpable 'back-to-school' feeling of anticipation, where nobody really knows the form book until the lights go out on Sunday.
"We're not expecting miracles to be worked overnight - far from it - but what we do know is that we'll give it our all this weekend."
Alonso's 1:17.784 around the Circuit de Catalunya was just over half a second down on the best times of testing set by Ferrari pair Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.
The two-time world champion believes the MCL33 has already shown promising signs and concurred with Boullier that there was more to come.
"Our car showed a lot of potential in winter testing and, although we know we still have a lot to work on, we've already learned a lot about the package and how all the new elements to this year's car work together," he said.
"Australia is its first real test, and we need to work hard all weekend to bring all the ingredients together.
"Nobody can ever predict how other teams will perform at the first race of the season and that all contributes to the excitement.
"Melbourne is a great track and, after what feels like a long winter, I'm really looking forward to seeing what we can do."
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