Eric Boullier admitted that the Brazilian Grand Prix was one to forget for the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 Team, with Fernando Alonso finishing tenth and Jenson Button sixteenth on Sunday.
The Racing Director of the Woking-based team did have praise for Alonso after fighting back from a spin on the final restart that relegated him to last to finish just inside the points within the last fifteen laps.
On the other hand, Boullier was disappointed that Button had a nightmare weekend in conditions that usually suit his driving style, and is now looking to investigate just what went wrong for the Briton.
“For McLaren-Honda, this was largely a race to forget,” said Boullier. “For Formula 1 as a sport, it’s a race from which we can learn in order to improve the show for future wet-weather races.
“Unfortunately for us, neither driver was truly able to seize the moment – Fernando drove bravely to run inside the top 10 for much of the race, then a lap-56 spin at Turn 13 dropped him to the back of the field. His comeback drive to 10th – passing seven cars in 15 laps – was brilliant, and displayed all his speed, bravery and commitment.
“Jenson was unable to rid himself of the handling imbalance he encountered yesterday, and struggled to find any rear grip in the tricky conditions. We will go away and examine what went wrong for him.”
