Fernando Alonso suspects the Canadian Grand Prix will be a difficult race for McLaren due to their lack of straight-line speed.
McLaren have been consistently among the slower cars in the speed trap figures since the season began. Alonso believes the long straights at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will expose that weakness despite their strong showing in recent races.
“Obviously we’ve been in Q3 in Barcelona, Q3 [in Monaco],” he said. “It will be nice to keep that trend in the next coming races and confirm our progress.“But I think Canada is going to be challenging. It’s a tough circuit with long straights. Our lack of speed maybe is a penalty there. It will be a good test for us.”
McLaren’s power unit supplier Renault is bringing a “B-spec” version of its power unit for this week’s race. However McLaren has tended to be slower than other teams using the same engine, suggesting their top-speed shortfall is not just a lack of engine power.
Stoffel Vandoorne said he is not surprised at the team’s deficit to rivals such as Red Bull but believes the team knows where it can make gains.
“We have a clear direction for our team in terms of where the car needs to improve,” he said.
“I think the past couple of weeks we’ve made a small step forward and I think there’s a big push now in the factory to make even bigger gains over the next few weeks.”
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2018 F1 season
- McLaren staff told us we were “totally crazy” to take Honda engines in 2018 – Tost
- ‘It doesn’t matter if we start last’: How Red Bull’s junior team aided Honda’s leap forward
- Honda’s jet division helped F1 engineers solve power unit problem
- McLaren Racing losses rise after Honda split
- Ricciardo: Baku “s***show” was Red Bull’s fault
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
4th June 2018, 9:00
Last year McLaren blamed Honda for their poor performance. This year, with Renault powered Red Bull Racing having won two races, it’s apparent the Renault engine has the capability of winning some races, so the onus is on McLaren to show they can get good results with that engine as well.
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
4th June 2018, 12:18
And also Toro Rosso with Honda are doing a respectable job. Of course the Renault is down on the Ferrari and Merc however.
Robbie (@robbie)
4th June 2018, 13:53
In fairness, last year was season three of abject failure for McHonda, so they had to draw a line in the sand and call enough enough. This year is the first year of Mac learning to gel with the Renault Pu. And how long as RBR had Renault engines and Pu(s)? Things take time to work themselves out. Mac is already way further ahead with Renault and they’ve barely had much time with it. STR has a lot of room for improvement and so a bit of improvement has happened with a Honda Pu that has taken 4 years minimum (6 years since it hit the drawing board?) to get the minimal results we see now.
Matteo (@m-bagattini)
4th June 2018, 10:21
Notice how “lack of speed” is used instead of “lack of power”. Alonso used to complain about lacking power back in the Honda days.
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
4th June 2018, 12:19
Haha yes well observed. Fernando always drops these little gems.
sumedh
4th June 2018, 12:29
Well spotted. Mclaren 2017 vs Mclaren 2018 is essentially same problems but different excuses.
Tango (@tango)
4th June 2018, 12:51
Also, I might add that I can’t remember a GP in modern history where lack of speed has been a positive :D
Robbie (@robbie)
4th June 2018, 14:01
Splitting hairs. As if FA never used lack of speed when complaining about Honda. The two go hand in hand. Just a matter of what word he chose to use on any given day, speed or horsepower. We already know from RBR that they commonly use lack of hp as their main issue with Renault, and that translates to their concerns at tracks that have long straights due to lack of speed from said lack of hp. Mac will be observing the same thing only they haven’t had nearly the time RBR has had with Renault.
Zad (@)
4th June 2018, 14:03
since the hybrid era began, renault is their third engine supplier. in 14 they’ve been beaten by williams (& merc) by quite a margin, this year rb and renault. @ some point they have to blame themselves 2 get out of the “joke” status they happen to find themselves in my opinion. remember how they said they can “target” rb, merc and ferrari back in australia? like i can “target” the moon with a basketball…
Ryan Fairweather
4th June 2018, 14:09
Yet again someone who fails to remember that in 2014 they didnt have works lubricants fuels and engine maps. Williams, Merc and Force India did.
Zad (@)
4th June 2018, 14:40
well i only remember that it was never mclarens fault…
Robbie (@robbie)
4th June 2018, 14:35
@zad2 In fact they are targeting the top 3 now, not the midfield any more. After 4 races Mac was sitting best of the rest after the traditional top 3, and now it is Renault but Mac is only 6 points back of them. I’m sure they’re having way more fun now at Mac, feeling like they are much less handcuffed to do anything. And after so little time with the Renault Pu too.
Gabriel (@rethla)
4th June 2018, 16:28
@robbie
They are probably more handcuffed than ever now. They aint gonna get the super engine and worksstatus Honda promised them and instead they are the worst Renault on the grid with only themself to blame and RB aiming for Honda when the Renault team finally kicks off. As it stands now Red Bull Honda would beat them and i wouldnt be surprised if that was the case in the previous years aswell.
Robbie (@robbie)
4th June 2018, 17:15
@rethla Perhaps, but at least for now they are not in the competitive abyss that they were with Honda, and FA has actually been regularly in the points. Sure it’s not ideal, but it’s better than they had with Honda and that relationship just had to end, so…for now it is what it is and I’m sure they’re trying to sort out what to do for the long haul at the same time.
So far there is no super engine from Honda at all, and the ‘worst’ Renault on the grid award can surely be blamed on Mac being the newest members of the Renault family. They deserve time. If RBR goes Honda and Mac ends up with ever improving Renault’s, then who knows if at this time next year you will still be saying RBR/Honda is > McRenault.
Honda still has everything to prove having done very little even this season when it started to look better in pre-season and in the first races. How will they do if RBR insists that they must not do worse than they are now, which means they must have the Pu at maximum crank? I sure see no reason right now to believe Honda can keep up with RBR’s needs.
Gabriel (@rethla)
4th June 2018, 18:22
@robbie
Honda might not keep up with RBRs needs but i see no hope for Mclaren.
Robbie (@robbie)
4th June 2018, 18:38
@rethla Yeah fair enough. It will be fascinating to see it all play out. Right now you need to be a works factory team to win the big prizes, but it seems they want to move back somewhat away from that with the 2021 changes, so it will be very interesting to see what teams the likes of Mac will do.
Sun Siyuan (@peking901)
5th June 2018, 11:25
McLaren have earned 40 pts so far compared to last whole season’s 30 pts.
And the Honda powered Toro Rosso only have 19 pts so far vs. last year’s 29 pts at the same seventh-race time point.
Although McLaren is clearly not as good as they claimed themselves, it’s undoubtedly that HONDA DRAGGED McLaren DOWN AND THEY ARE DRAGGING STR now. I really think all you gloating guys should face it and keep your big mouth shut.