McLaren-Honda Racing Director Eric Boullier is confident of a strong showing from the Woking based squad at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, now we have arrived at a less power dependent track, that should better suit the characteristics of the MP4-31.
“As we begin the final set of fly-aways before the end of the season, we go to territories where we race at circuits that require a more technical car set-up, with less reliance on pure power.”
The Frenchman has confirmed that McLaren are still working hard to improve the car with every race, and is confident that progress will be made throughout the remaining races of the year.
“Despite spending the next few weeks far away from the UK, our development push is still ongoing and we’re still working hard on achieving performance improvements right up to the end of the season.”
Boullier is aware that strategy will play a big role in determining the outcome of the race on Sunday, an is intrigued to find out how the new ultra-soft tyre compound will perform on the uneven tarmac, a well known characteristic of the Marina Bay street circuit.
“It’ll be interesting to see how the ultra-soft tyre fares on the bumpy asphalt this street circuit is so famous for. Strategy will be an important factor in this year’s grand prix, especially given the unusually high likelihood of a Safety Car appearance.”
The McLaren-Honda man was happy with the Woking based squad’s performance in Monza, despite neither driver coming home in the top ten, and is confident that this weekend will really highlight the gains the team have made following the recent updates to their package.
“Although we weren’t in a points-paying position in Monza, we did see some promising performances throughout the weekend, so we’re hopeful of a greater chance to show what our package is truly capable of at the Singapore Grand Prix.”