Fernando Alonso is optimistic that if any team can challenge Mercedes in the future it will be McLaren, who he says is the best team he has driven for in Formula 1.
Alonso told media ahead of the German Grand Prix, “The team is strong, the technical people we have are united and I think we have a good balance in the team, in the staff, in the design group.”
“It’s probably the best team I’ve been in in my career. We are not competitive because we have a lot of problems to solve from last year and the project was not ready to compete at this level,” said the Spaniard who has driven for Minardi, Renault and Ferrari during his 15 seasons on the F1 grid.
As for the immediate task at hand Alonso said, “We have to make sure that the reliability is in place, the power, the driveablity, the aerodynamic philosophy, it all had to change a lot and find a new direction.”
“But in terms of the team and the structure, organisation, this is definitely the best group that I have been working with.”
Right now it is hard to imagine McLaren challenging the dominance of Mercedes any time soon, however new rules for 2017 do provide a glimmer of hope for the Woking team who reunited with Honda in 2015.
“Next year the regulations will change and I think if we stay with the same regulations as this year then probably not. If we have the same power as Mercedes or Ferrari, I think Mercedes is clearly ahead of everyone in terms of aerodynamics and in terms of everything,” said Alonso.
“So I think with a regulation change it opens a little bit of hope for us, not only at McLaren but for everyone because everything is new.”
“Let’s go step by step and let’s hope that if we have a competitive engine then on the chassis side we are also competitive a little bit thanks to the new rules which will open things with new ideas and new philosophies.
“It can be very good and if you understand it well and have a good approach to the new regulations then you can become very competitive … or it can be the opposite and our philosophy for the 2017 car is completely wrong and we are even less competitive than this year. You don’t know, but I think that question mark for next year offers hope and we are optimistic.”
“We have to make sure that the reliability is in place, the power, the driveablity, the aerodynamic philosophy, it all had to change a lot and find a new direction. But in terms of the team and the structure, organisation, this is definitely the best group that I have been working with,” reiterated the double F1 world champion who will be starting his 264th grand prix when he lines up on the grid for the German Grand Prix.
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
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