McLaren makes sparks fly at Silverstone
A qualification to mark with a white stone for McLaren: Fernando Alonso finished at the top of Q1 while Stoffel Vandoorne ranks 9th and finally ahead of the Spaniard.
To say that the start of the season for McLaren has been complicated is clearly an understatement. Every reason to smile is therefore welcome, even if it doesn’t last. That’s what happened today at Silverstone when Fernando Alonso secured a fine first place at the end of Q1.
The Spaniard indeed chose to switch to slicks on a drying track. He was thus able to cross the timing line less than a second before the checkered flag, achieving a performance that hadn’t been seen since the Indian Grand Prix in 2013!
“Listen to the cheers around Silverstone…”
F1 fans went crazy as @alo_oficial topped the timesheets in Q1 at the #BritishGP 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/Wi6RxvIwi8
— Formula 1 (@F1) 15 juillet 2017
For him, it was just a fair reward for his mechanics, who have been tested lately by results far from expectations: « We made the right decision at the end of Q1 by switching to super softs. We took advantage of a track that was on the edge at that moment. It was nice to hear people cheering us. It feels good for the guys in the garage—they deserve it because they have worked so hard these past few years. Even if it’s just for a moment, being at the top of the timesheets feels good. »
However, the harsh reality returned as soon as the next session: the Spaniard knew he would receive a 30-place grid penalty. Therefore, he did not try to get into Q3 at all costs in order to have the choice of his tire strategy for tomorrow’s race: « Not getting into Q3 allows us to choose our tires for the race. We will start last due to the penalties. Starting on worn Q2 tires wouldn’t have been ideal. So we are quite happy with this 13th place. »
But this session is also important for Stoffel Vandoorne as it’s the first time the Belgian has outpaced his teammate in a lap. From the start of the weekend, he was keen to highlight that he was getting closer to his teammate. Being able to beat him is therefore very gratifying: « We didn’t expect to make it into Q3 at Silverstone. We’ve worked well in the past few races. We’ve clearly seen the improvements within the team: in Azerbaijan, in Austria, and here at Silverstone, Fernando and I have been on the same pace. It obviously feels good to have been able to take this additional step. »
Starting 8th, the Belgian can legitimately hope to score his first points of the year.
From our special correspondent in Silverstone
