Fernando Alonso says McLaren must focus on improving its reliability in a bid to maximise its prospects at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Alonso scored 32 points in the opening five Grands Prix but has added just 12 in the nine events held since, during which period he has failed to greet the chequered flag six times.
McLaren is expecting its package to be comparatively stronger around the streets of Marina Bay, and Alonso says the team must ensure it does not fall short in the reliability stakes.
“After difficult races in Belgium and Italy we say goodbye to Europe and start the fly-away chapter of the season,” said Alonso.
“We were hoping to come away with points instead of two DNFs, but on the positive side we managed to find some pace on Sunday in Monza.
“The important thing for us to focus on is reliability, especially since Marina Bay street circuit should be better for us and our package, so we need to maximise our performance.
“Points are still definitely the target.”
Alonso’s tricky run
The first five Grands Prix signalled an upturn in form from McLaren – but its underlying lack of pace in qualifying eventually proved a greater hindrance as rivals made gains, while its own issues became more pronounced.
Alonso is now 15th on the laps raced chart, out of 20 drivers, and has failed to meet the chequered flag six times from nine events – of which four were retirements.
Only Daniel Ricciardo and Brendon Hartley have a worse record in the reliability stakes.
.jpg)
Alonso was on course for seventh in Monaco until a gearbox failure halted his MCL33, while at the next race in Canada an exhaust issue was to blame.
A suspension failure, having also spun early on, brought his race in France to a premature end, while another suspected gearbox issue meant he was unable to complete the German Grand Prix.
Nico Hulkenberg’s high-profile mistake left Alonso as an innocent victim at the start in Belgium, and a week later in Italy an electrical failure after just nine laps was to blame.
The positive element for McLaren and Alonso is that in the three Grands Prix where he has reached the finish line since Spain he has done so in eighth position.
That included rising from 20th and last in Austria and 13th in Britain, demonstrating that faith in race pace is justified and that the team has the ability to overcome its qualifying deficit.
Alonso has typically been strong last year in Singapore and was devastated at getting caught up in the dramatic Turn 1 crash when a big haul of points was in the offing.
If he can avoid such pitfalls then there’s every reason to expect Alonso to be in the points come Sunday evening – but can the MCL33 stay operational for 61 laps of Marina Bay?
