McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says the Spanish Grand Prix was a “day to forget” for the team, despite there being positives to take from the weekend.
After a tough start on Friday with reliability problems, the Woking-based outfit enjoyed better fortunes on Saturday, with Fernando Alonso qualifying in seventh place.
However, the Spaniard was knocked off track on the opening lap and lost several places, struggling to recover.
Meanwhile Stoffel Vandoorne retired from the race after a collision with Felipe Massa at the first corner.
“After our encouraging qualifying pace, it goes without saying that we’re very disappointed [with the race],” he said.
“Through no fault of his own, Fernando got involved in Felipe’s [Massa] lap-one ‘off’, and immediately dropped half a dozen places as a result.
“He pushed as hard as he could thereafter, but the gap proved unbridgeable and he ended up driving a lonely race to 12th place.
“After being awarded a 10-place grid penalty as a result of the team’s decision to replace some elements of his car’s power unit this morning, Stoffel was forced to start the race from 20th and last place.
“From there he drove the first third of the race very hard and very well. Unfortunately, his good progress came to a halt on lap 33, when contact with Felipe’s Williams damaged his suspension and rendered his car undriveable.
“So, results-wise, it is a day for us to forget, but there are positives to be taken from the weekend nonetheless, not least our solid qualifying pace.
“It’s clear that the MCL32 is a chassis that our drivers can really lean on – and that quality augurs well for Monaco, on whose sinuous streets we’ll do battle with our rivals once again in two weeks’ time.”
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