Fernando Alonso feels the Italian Grand Prix at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza will be another tough weekend for his McLaren-Honda team as they continue to make small improvements on their way to developing their MP4/30.
The Spaniard admits the Monza circuit is unique and a lot of fun to drive as he gets set to make his fourteenth appearance, and believes the atmosphere in Italy, particularly from the Tifosi is special.
“Monza is completely unique, a fantastic circuit, [with] so much history, great fans, and [its] huge fun to drive,” said Alonso.
“It’s always special to go there year after year to experience the atmosphere, and the way the car feels when you drive on that track is completely different to any other.”
Alonso has two victories at Monza, one for McLaren in 2007 and the second for former employees Ferrari in 2010, but feels this weekend will be another struggle in a year of woe for the McLaren team.
“I have won at Monza twice in my career, once with McLaren in 2007 and both times were incredibly special,” insisted Alonso. “For this race we have to manage our own expectations, as we know it won’t suit our car.
“It will be tough, but we’ll still push hard as usual, learn as much as we can about our package, and work on our low-downforce configuration to try and get as much as we can out of the weekend.”