Fernando Alonso still happy with rebirth of McLaren-Honda despite 'slow start'
Spaniard only able to run for six laps on his return to McLaren
Sunday 1 February 2015 19:11, UK
Fernando Alonso has insisted he is unfazed by McLaren-Honda’s “slow start” to 2015 after the Spaniard was restricted to just six laps on the first day of winter testing at Jerez.
The Spaniard, making his first appearance in McLaren colours since November 2007, propped up the timesheets after being forced to sit out the whole of the afternoon due to a niggling malfunction with the new Honda V6 power pack – exactly the sort of teething problems that the rest of the field endured twelve months ago when they debuted their new turbo engines.
“It’s a slow start that was expected,” said a relaxed Alonso. “There is a lot of complex technology in F1 now and we need time to learn about the car. It is an extreme and aggressive design.
“We would have liked more laps, because six is not enough, but we are still happy.”
Paddock Uncut: First Winter Test Jerez Day One
McLaren’s paltry lap count was dwarfed by Mercedes’ record-breaking haul as Nico Rosberg completed over 150 in the world champions’ instantly-impressive new W06. However, Alonso doesn’t believe the Silver Arrows will enjoy a repeat of their 2014 resounding dominance in the new season that starts on March 15 in Australia.
“They are the favourites but they will not as many races as last year,” the former Ferrari driver predicted.
McLaren are themselves without a race victory in F1 since 2012, an unacceptable famine for a team which, in harness with Honda, once dominated the sport. Their opening-day struggles will heighten suspicions that 2015 might prove a year too soon for the rekindled partnership. Not that Alonso is alarmed just yet. Asked how he’d cope with another difficult season, the two-time title winner wryly replied: “My patience has been proved over the last five years.”
The Sky Sports F1 Online team will be providing live commentary from all four days of testing in Jerez – from dawn on Sunday to dusk on Wednesday. Sky Sports News HQ will also have live updates from trackside.
