McLaren F1 driver Fernando Alonso is hoping for a strong weekend in Austria, after missing out on points in the last round of the European Grand Prix in Baku, the first F1 race to be held in Azerbaijan, when the Spaniard was forced to retire from the race due to gearbox related issues with just nine laps remaining, in order to preserve his power unit and elements for future races.
That was the double world champion’s second race in succession without any points, but Alonso is happy that the Woking based squad will be able to take on the demands of the Spielberg track, the characteristics of which should again suit the MP4-31, with a much more competitive edge this weekend in Austria.
“After the unique demands of the Baku City Circuit, we return to a more conventional racetrack in Austria. It’s a much shorter track than Baku, but it’s still very challenging because you cannot afford to make any mistakes.
“The track isn’t the most technical on the calendar, but it’s still quite demanding because there are some fast corners and you have to be very careful not to make a single mistake for 71 laps. We come prepared and I hope we can have a good weekend.
“To be fast you need good traction and efficient aero, which we have. For that reason, I hope we can be more competitive than we were in Baku – and I hope to have a longer race than I did last year, which was over on the opening lap!”
