McLaren-Honda driver Stoffel Vandoorne is wary that this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix will be “equally difficult” for the team as the season-opening round in Australia.
Vandoorne was knocked out of Q1 at Albert Park and finished as the final classified runner in 13th place, with his race compromised by the need to carry out a power cycle during his pit stop.
The Belgian youngster is hopeful that a handful of upgrades for the MCL32 this weekend will provide a lift for McLaren at a circuit where he has no experience but is braced for another troubled event.
“Finishing last is never what we would want, and China will be equally difficult for us,” Vandoorne commented.
“But I know we have some new parts for this weekend and as usual we’ll be pushing hard to get the maximum out of our package.
“The circuit is a new one for me, so I’m looking forward to driving it for the first time for real and not just on the simulator, and getting to grips with the changeable conditions.
“The Shanghai track has very different characteristics from Melbourne and from the next race in Bahrain, so I’m keen to get on top of that early in the weekend and work hard on set-up.”
Team-mate Fernando Alonso, twice a winner of the Chinese Grand Prix, pointed to typically high tyre wear and temperature changes as a crucial factor at the event.
“In Shanghai last year everyone had their eye on the tyres as wear is typically high there and we often saw graining, but it’ll be interesting to see how the new compounds perform on this type of track,” he said.
“The weather is often unpredictable and temperatures can change a lot over the weekend, so it’s something all the teams have to manage with the balance and set-up of the car.”
Racing Director Eric Boullier commented earlier in the week that the layout of the Shanghai circuit will expose McLaren's current weaknesses.
