McLaren-Honda Racing Director Eric Boullier is confident that the Woking based squad will have a strong weekend in Hungary for Round 11 of the 2016 Formula One World Championship, after data collected at the recent in-season test at Silverstone proved encouraging.
“We head to the Hungaroring off the back of a positive couple of days testing at Silverstone. The grand prix weekend was certainly a challenge, but knowing the characteristics of the circuit as we do, we were prepared for a difficult race, although it’s still disappointing not to have finished in the points.
“The test, however, was encouraging, and we definitely maximised the track time to collate some valuable data which our engineers in the UK and Japan are putting to good use on the development of the MP4-31. Not all will apply directly to the race in Hungary, of course, but we certainly hope that we can align the strengths of our package with the unique nature of the Hungaroring circuit.”
The aim for McLaren and Boullier at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, will be to bring both cars home in the points, after struggling to achieve that in the last couple of races. Recent upgrades made to the power unit of the MP4-31 prior to the British Grand Prix should also come into their own at the less power dependent Hungaroring track, and if all goes to plan, McLaren may just achieve the sort of result they have been waiting for all season.
“Over the past few races, we’ve endured some bad luck, made a few small mistakes, and suffered some reliability niggles. But, if we can enjoy a smooth weekend, I’m hopeful we can fulfil the potential that our package has shown at various points throughout the season so far, on both sides of the garage, and secure a result that, statistically, we know we’re capable of on this type of circuit.”
