McLaren set out Q3 target for qualifying

McLaren's Fernando Alonso says the team is aiming to finish inside the top ten during qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Two weeks ago, the Woking-based squad failed to make it into the final qualifying session, being pipped by both Haas' and Renaults.

But now Alonso says that the aim in Sahkir is to get both cars into Q3. McLaren brought new parts to this weekend's event, and the Spaniard says that some analysis will be done on them in order to improve going forward.

"Our aim for qualifying is to be in Q3 – a target we missed in Australia – and we need to deliver and do a perfect lap, so that we can beat some of the cars in front of us," he said. "The weekend has started in a positive way and there’s nothing in particular to worry about.

"There is a lot of analysis that we need to do concerning some of the new parts we have on our two cars, so I think we need to put everything together now and find the best compromise."

Racing director Eric Boullier added: "Qualifying is all-important and we’re under no illusion about the strength of our competition. We saw the midfield pack is very tight, so positions can be won or lost by the smallest of margins.

“We have work to do to ensure we give ourselves the best opportunity for Sunday’s race, but we will surely put up a fight here in qualifying in front of our Bahraini friends and colleagues,” he added.

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