Electrical issue on MCL32 stops Vandoorne twice in an hour
Thursday 9 March 2017 18:01, UK
McLaren's poor start to 2017 continued at Winter Testing as Stoffel Vandoorne broke down twice in an hour on the penultimate day.
The Woking team are currently bottom of the timesheets for laps completed over the two weeks in Barcelona, with the performance of their Honda engine heavily criticised by Fernando Alonso.
It was, however, an electrical issue on the MCL32 that twice stopped Vandoorne in his tracks at the end of the morning session - once at the end of the pitlane and another time on track. Both breakdowns occurred on the Belgian's out lap.
It was an otherwise encouraging few hours for McLaren - by their Winter Testing standards, anyway - as Vandoorne had clocked the team's fastest lap of year, a 1:21.348, prior to the first stoppage.
But the reliability concerns continue and the pressure mounts on team principal Eric Boullier, who was due to address the media alongside Honda chief Yusuke Hasegawa at the end of Day Three. That briefing, however, was cancelled by McLaren.
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