McLaren might be scrapping over the final few points at each race of the 2016 season, but Fernando Alonso claims the MP4-31 is only behind Mercedes and Red Bull in terms of chassis performance.
His claim may not be so far fetched. In Spain he managed to make Q3 for the first time since McLaren and Honda reunited, in part thanks to the circuit requiring less from the power unit compared to previous races this season.
However it still features two long straights which require good top-speed – something that remains an issue for McLaren – but when it comes to the third and final sector – which has always been a good indicator of chassis performance – only Mercedes and Red Bull were quicker than Alonso's McLaren.
"We are behind Mercedes and Red Bull but they are very strong so we need to show in the next few races that we can improve our efficiency and mechanical grip," said Alonso.
"Maybe it is a surprise we are in front of many of our competitors but it is not for us. Good to be in front of Williams, Force India, Ferrari in terms of chassis."
It's a claim racing director Eric Boullier says is backed up by data from the race weekend.
"By studying the data closely, we see that we are now somewhere between Mercedes and Ferrari," he told Speed Week.
"Progress is clearly felt by the drivers and also on the track everyone can see that we have become stronger. So we are on the right track."
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