Alonso warns there is ‘no magic bullet’

Editor

Fernando Alonso

New upgrades are on the horizon for McLaren, but Fernando Alonso has warned that there is “no magic bullet” to come.

McLaren have made a much better start to the season compared to years previously with Honda power, but they are still some way off competing with the big three teams, including Red Bull who run with the same engine as the Woking team.

Expectations were initially high about the upgrade package that McLaren were bringing to Spain yet, slowly but surely, those expectations are being lowered.

“I know we have some developments in the pipeline,” Alonso said.

“But we also know there is no magic bullet that will propel us to the front of the grid overnight.

“There has been a lot of work happening at the factory and there is still a lot of work to do – so in Barcelona it’s a chance to evaluate some new things, see where we are, and determine the direction that we take with car development as we progress through the season.

“As always, and especially after the battle we fought in Baku, I’m really looking forward to pushing hard on track again this weekend in front of my home fans.”

Racing director Eric Boullier added that the upgrades are part of a season-long commitment to develop the MCL33.

“Like most teams, we’re planning to bring some new parts to the car to test on Friday and decide which of these to take forward into the rest of the weekend, and the coming races,” Boullier added.

“While for logistical reasons Barcelona was the most logical time to implement these, it’s part of a season-long plan to develop the car as we always do until the final race.”