Points elude McLaren-Honda due to reliability in Shanghai

The weekends follow one another and deteriorate for McLaren-Honda. After barely making it to the finish line in Australia two weeks ago, in 13th and last position, with Stoffel Vandoorne, the two cars of the Anglo-Japanese team were forced to retire this Sunday in Shanghai. The Belgian driver retired on the 17th of the 56 laps due to a fuel delivery issue with his car. Fernando Alonso, on the other hand, faced a driveshaft problem on his MCL32 on the 33rd lap while he was in 8th place in the race. The outcome of the Chinese weekend is indeed quite bleak for the Woking team.

Huge disappointment shared across the team and our magnificent fans. There are positives to take to Bahrain and we’ll keep pushing, guys. pic.twitter.com/tF2o8HNyGp

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) 9 avril 2017

Fernando Alonso, retirement on lap 33

The double world champion Spanish driver seemed quite pleased with his performance at the Shanghai international circuit, even surpassing his Melbourne race, which he already considered as “probably the best race of [his] life.” “I thought Australia would be unbeatable, but here it was the same or even better!” according to comments reported by Autosport.

The Bull from Asturias recalls from this race, held in partially wet and drying track conditions, the early race adventures: « People were turning left and right, and we gained positions more or less easily. » He continues: « When the track was wet, we kept the pace with the best, despite a pure speed deficit […] We could have scored one or two points like in Australia in an incredible way. » He even reached the 7th position for several laps.

Paradoxical fact for the Double World Champion during the race was to find himself in front of a Mercedes driver for a few laps: «Racing in front of Bottas while he can’t overtake you for two or three laps was one of the most surreal things that ever happened to me ».

Despite his relative enthusiasm following this round, Fernando Alonso cannot ignore the reliability issues that have plagued his team’s efforts since the beginning of the season. The repeated mechanical glitches during races clearly demonstrate the vicious cycle caused by these issues, especially the lack of time during pre-season testing, making the task more difficult at present: “By missing tests, we discover new problems race after race.” And he added: “Let’s hope that soon we can have normal reliability to be able to finish the races.”

Stoffel Vandoorne, retirement on the 17th lap

Stoffel Vandoorne started from 15th position on the grid due to Antonio Giovinazzi’s penalty for a gearbox change. The weather conditions could have been a good ally for a successful race. The start on a wet track was promising, allowing him to gain a few positions. However, when the track was dry enough for “slick” tires, the performance deficit was felt by the Belgian driver. Despite this, the feeling at the wheel of his car was encouraging, even though his race was abruptly interrupted on the 17th lap due to a fuel supply issue.

He reflects on the beginning of his race: « It was a shortened race for me but exciting at the beginning. Fernando (Alonso) and I had a good start and we were in the midfield during the first laps. After the first stop, it became more challenging but our pace was promising. When we switched to dry tires, we were competitive and I was able to push the car as I wanted. The car was really good in the corners. I felt confident and I was closing the gap with the drivers in front of me. As soon as it got drier, we noticed the speed difference, and it was very complicated to overtake. »

Then things took a turn for the worse for Stoffel Vandoorne as he was forced to retire. Despite this premature end, he remains positive about the potential of his car.

In the 17th lap, we lost power. I don’t really know the reason, but I think it was a fuel supply problem. It’s a shame not to be able to finish the race today. The potential was there, and the car was relatively competitive in the corners compared to the other cars I was fighting against. (…) It’s not ideal. Obviously, I would have liked to go all the way.