McLaren Racing Director Eric Boullier says the team’s winter testing problems with Honda's power unit are “not overnight fixes”.
The Woking-based outfit suffered a variety of engine-related issues throughout the two pre-season tests at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, completing the least laps of any F1 team.
Both Stoffel Vandoorne and Fernando Alonso were beset by electrical issues over the final two days, with the Spaniard openly criticising Honda for its lack of reliability and performance during the build-up to the 2017 campaign.
Boullier has admitted there are no quick fixes for the problems, but he remains hopeful McLaren and Honda can resolve them before the 2017 season-opener in Australia.
“It was not the way we’d hoped to conclude the final day of pre-season testing,” Boullier said.
“Thursday’s electrical issues persisted, prompting us to make regular changes to the car throughout the day in order to identify what has been causing the car to lose power intermittently.
“Although we’ve suffered a number of issues over the course of two weeks of testing, we’ve certainly learned a lot about the car, and we know the problems that need to be addressed.
“Plainly speaking, they aren’t overnight fixes, but we’re hopeful both McLaren and Honda will be able to make progress on them ahead of Australia in two short weeks.”
He added: “The guys and girls in the team have worked tirelessly and relentlessly to keep moving us forward day-by-day, and I’m incredibly proud and appreciative of the hard work and determination shown within the team.
“It’s not been an easy testing period for us by any stretch, but we’re as motivated as ever to turn it around and find the solutions we need to get us back on track and headed in the direction we need to go.”
McLaren-Honda's best lap of the test, set by Vandoorne on Ultra Softs, was 2.7s adrift of the overall quickest time, set by Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen.
