Fernando Alonso heads into the 2017 Austrian Grand Prix with renewed hope after the McLaren-Honda driver picked up the first points finish for the team this season.
“I really enjoyed my race in Baku,” said Alonso. “Our performance in the race not only showed that the foundations of our car package are strong, but also that our operational team – our mechanics, engineers, and strategists – are all racers, poised and waiting to take advantage of any situation.”
While it must have felt like a victory to himself and the team at the time, the Spaniard is under no illusion that there is still a lot of work to be done.
“Two points may have been a small consolation after an extremely tough weekend, but, as I said at the time, we’ll take it and use it to drive us forwards.” he added.
Looking ahead to the upcoming weekend the former champion commented, “There are reasons to feel more optimistic about our weekend in Austria.
“It’s a circuit that’s not as dependent on power as some of the recent races, and I think our car will be better suited to the twists and turns of the Spielberg circuit. I think we’ll be able to push hard.”
In addition to the circuit suiting the team better, Alonso has high hopes for the latest round of updates from the team and Honda.
“We’ve also got a couple of useful steps coming on the car, including – hopefully – Honda’s revised Spec Three power unit, which I tried during Friday practice in Azerbaijan. Every step is important, so I’m looking forward to a positive weekend where we can once again get everything out of the car.”
