Stoffel Vandoorne believes that it's possible McLaren can score points at the Italian Grand Prix. The Woking squad was tipped to struggle around the track that's dependant on engine power, but the wet conditions in qualifying meant that advantage was somewhat diminished.
Vandoorne made it inside the top ten at the end of Q2, but the Belgian couldn't set a lap in Q3 as he suffered a loss of power. With Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen taking grid penalties, Vandoorne will start the race in P8 and thinks he can score points by avoiding trouble.
"For us to be in Q3 on a circuit like Monza means it’s been a pretty good afternoon, especially as it wasn’t so easy out there and there were pretty difficult conditions," he said. "I’m happy with my performance. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to have a proper go in Q3 – we had a loss of engine power so I had to abandon my quicker lap.
"We don’t know what the problem is at the moment. It’s a shame because I really think we could have pushed our way further up. We could have taken more time to find the limit and taken a few more risks, but we didn’t get that chance.
"With penalties we’ll probably start P8, which is inside the top 10, and we’ve been running strong in the dry. I think tomorrow should be dry, so we’ll need a good start and to keep in touch with the group in front. There’s some quick cars in front and some quick cars behind, but once we’re in position hopefully we can stay there. Tomorrow is when the points are distributed, and I’m optimistic in the race we can have a good go."
Fergal Walsh
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Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
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