After sitting out the majority of the final day of the first pre-season test due to issues on his McLaren-Honda, Fernando Alonso was happy to get a significantly days running on the opening day of the second test on Tuesday.
The Spaniard finished third fastest with a time of 1m24.735s, but Alonso was pleased to complete 93 laps of the Circuit de Catalunya, and worked on short runs and the balance of his MP4-31 throughout the day.
“After the disappointment of not being able to complete much running at the end of last week’s test, it was positive to get so many laps on the board today,” said Alonso.
“We tested a number of different configurations and spent a lot of time working on the power unit and collecting data from the aerodynamics. It’s too early to tell a real difference compared to the engine last week, as we focussed today on shorter runs and adjusting the balance and set-up of the car.
“However, today’s full day of running has been a good start to the second test, and has provided us with lots of useful data that we can analyse overnight before Jenson [Button] continues the programme tomorrow.”
