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Fernando Alonso admits that McLaren is in for a challenging three days at the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend. The Woking squad has struggled throughout the 2018 season, and has finished inside the top ten just three times in the last seven Grands Prix.
Alonso arrives in Belgium for his first race since his announcement that he would be leaving the sport at the end of the current season. Previewing the upcoming race, Alonso thinks that due to the fact much of the lap is full throttle, McLaren will find it tough around the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
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“Even though Formula 1 has been on its summer shutdown, it feels like a lot has happened since Hungary," he said. "I’m pleased to finally confirm my decision for 2019, but that doesn’t in any way deter from what me or the team will be focusing on for the rest of the year.
“We still have a lot of work to do and I’m really looking forward to being back in the car from FP2. Although I’ve raced more recently that anyone else on the grid, at Silverstone in WEC last weekend, I still can’t wait to get behind the wheel at Spa. It’s one of the best circuits on the calendar and usually a lot of fun.
"Spa is the longest track we race on and a lot of it is at full throttle, so it will be a challenging weekend for us. But, I feel fresh, motivated and ready to attack the weekend and the second half of the season.”
On Friday, McLaren's reserve driver Lando Norris will step into Alonso's car for the opening free practice session. The team's sporting director Gil de Ferran says that it is not only part of the Briton's development, but also an evaluation of the car's performance.
"This weekend will be the first time that our reserve driver Lando will drive the MCL33 during a race weekend, as he steps into Fernando’s car for FP1 on Friday.," he said. "This is not only part of his ongoing development, but also the evaluation and performance evolution of the car. We’ll be taking a strategic view race-by-race at where else this might be beneficial for us over the coming Grands Prix."
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