Gil de Ferran hopes to see a positive outcome this weekend for the McLaren F1 Team as they attack the Hungarian Grand Prix, the final race before the summer break and factory shutdown.
Neither Fernando Alonso nor Stoffel Vandoorne broke into the points last weekend at the Hockenheimring, while the team currently sit seventh in the Constructors’ Championship on forty-eight points, eleven behind both the Haas F1 Team and Sahara Force India F1 Team.
The Hungaroring will offer a different challenge to the team and the drivers this weekend, with high temperatures expected and a stop-start track, it means a well-balanced car is a necessity and any lapse in concentration will be punished.
“After a challenging weekend in Germany, we look ahead to the final back-to-back grand prix before the summer break,” said McLaren sporting director, de Ferran. “The Hungarian Grand Prix is always a popular event with the fans as well as the team and drivers, and Budapest is a beautiful host city that we all enjoy visiting.
“The key characteristic of this track is that it’s relentless in nature. It’s a short track with a lot of corners which makes it feel very stop-start and requires precise positioning of the car in order to get the most out of the lap.
“It means achieving a good balance is very important, which is something we’ll be looking at very closely this weekend. To add to the technicalities of this circuit, the drivers deal with high temperatures in the cockpit, making it a particularly challenging test for both them and the engineers when setting up the cars.”
De Ferran insists McLaren’s focus in the upcoming races is to get a better understanding of the MCL33 and improve their performances so both Alonso and Vandoorne can again become regular points contenders, something that is proving tricky at this stage of the season.
“Our focus is on making steps forward race-by-race and improving our understanding of our package, as we strive to make improvements to our performance each weekend,” said de Ferran.
