Fernando Alonso says he will only set a target for the season ahead once he’s seen McLaren-Honda’s full potential, something he reckons will happen around the Chinese Grand Prix.
The Spaniard says he’s been hugely impressed with Honda’s determination and their approach to the McLaren partnership following a visit to their facilities in Japan.
“I saw a lot of talented people in Honda when I visited the facilities in Sakura. I saw a very different approach compared to other teams, with a very scientific approach and a very technological approach,” he noted.
“In this new Formula 1 we have a lot of electronics, software and hardware – there are lot of interactions. I think with Honda technology and Japanese culture we can put a very nice work together.”
Despite the positive approach, Alonso is refusing to set any goals until he’s seen exactly what the MP4/30 can do as he’s only driven it at half its capacity so far.
“We need to see how competitive we are,” added Alonso. “We just did one test [at Jerez], and we were not running with the full potential of the car; we were just testing the first days of the car.
“I think once we have the full potential, once we are in the second or third race and we see how fast we are, we’ll put a target for this first year.
“We want to win the championship. We don’t know if it will be the first year, the second or the third – hopefully as soon as possible.”
