Despite showing improved competitiveness during the last few races, including setting the fastest time in the first free practice session at the British Grand Prix ten days ago, Fernando Alonso and his Honda powered McLaren team are yet to translate this into serious on-track results.
Having said that however, the team is generally pleased with their current development as they head to Hungary for the final round of this first half of 2017 this coming weekend, they are feeling more positive about the weekend to come.
The Hungaroring is a unique twisty circuit that should give Alonso one of his best opportunities this season. Though it is not a power-oriented track, it still requires precise energy management throughout every lap of the race. It is also a track where overtaking is extremely difficult, so qualifying will be enormously important. This is also the circuit where Fernando secured his first ever Formula One victory all those years ago…
“On paper, the Hungaroring presents one of the best opportunities for us this year. The short, twisty circuit means we are less reliant on outright power, and the drivers have to really depend on the capabilities of the chassis to get the best out of the lap,” Fernando said.
“I always like returning to Budapest – we get to stay in the centre with great views of the river, and you feel like you're really part of the city all weekend. The temperatures are high and it's a testing weekend for the teams and drivers – especially since the summer break is so close, but a good result can be a great boost for everyone going into the shutdown period.”
“The important thing for us, as always, is reliability. Even if our car could perform better in Hungary, we need to have a trouble-free weekend to take advantage of every opportunity for points. We made some big decisions in Silverstone in terms of taking grid penalties in preparation for this race, and hope that's paid off so we can put ourselves in the best possible position for points this weekend.”
