Honda Executive Chief Engineer, Yusuke Hasegawa seems positive about the progress of the McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team from testing to the first race of the 2017 season in Melbourne.
“We knew coming into the weekend that this race wouldn’t be an easy one,” he commented, referring to the disastrous testing the McLaren had, where they were hugely off the pace. “But, despite a number of issues, I’m still happy with the progress we’ve made over the last weeks.”
Both cars and drivers had difficult races – Stoffel Vandoorne had issues with the car that meant he finished the race last, and Fernando Alonso, whilst looking competitive in the midfield pack, had to retire early due bodywork damage.
“Stoffel drove a determined race to the chequered flag, despite his issues, and Fernando once again drove brilliantly to extract everything from the car.”
Even with the issues that the Woking based team faced. Hasegawa remained positive about the McLaren’s progress, and hopes that the improvements will continue to the next race of the season in China, and beyond.
“Both of our drivers performed well in what was a challenging season-opening race, with retirements up and down the grid.”
