McLaren drivers Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne believe the team can make progress when Formula 1 action resumes in Monaco on Saturday, after complaining their MCL33 was "a bit unpredictable" during Thursday practice.
Alonso’s running in the first session was limited due to a suspected brake-by-wire sensor issue, as he returned to Monaco’s streets after missing last year’s event to compete at the Indianapolis 500.
Alonso recovered to finish ninth in FP2, while team-mate Vandoorne classified one place higher in eighth, behind the usual top six and Renault’s Carlos Sainz Jr.
“Due to the track evolution, you drive one car in FP1, a different one in FP2, and an entirely new one in qualifying, where you are two seconds quicker,” he said.
“So it’s important to adapt – we need to be flexible. Qualifying here is 99 per cent of the race, so once you put a good lap together on Saturday, the race becomes a little bit easier.
"There’s still more to come from us. Hopefully, we can put a good lap together on Saturday.”
Vandoorne added: “The sessions didn’t go as smoothly as we’d wanted: FP1 was difficult, but we made a big step during FP2.
“That was when things came together, but I still think we can take another step forward for Saturday and be in a better position for qualifying.
"Confidence is everything around here. The car was a bit of a handful and a bit unpredictable, so we struggled a little bit. Still, by the end, we managed to set some decent lap-times.
"The times are so close – you can’t leave anything on the table this weekend or else you’ll find yourself out in Q1.
“It’s going to be up to us to make the best out of it, do everything perfectly and do a proper job.
"Fortunately, I still feel there is a bit to come from us.”
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