Postpublished at 03:19 Greenwich Mean Time 25 March 2017
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Melbourne
Where to start with McLaren? Well, pace is as good a place as any, and Fernando Alonso was 2.4secs off that. Position? Twelfth is better than expected - and the Spaniard did well to beat the Force India of Esteban Ocon, but he was still half a second off the Frenchman’s team-mate Sergio Perez. Of the other drivers Alonso beat, well, Felipe Massa’s Williams and Kevin Magnussen’s Haas both broke and will be ahead, as will Jolyon Palmer’s Renault, smashed in a crash at Turn 16. As, presumably, will Ocon. That just leaves the Saubers - phew, at least McLaren are quicker than them - an unproven pay-driver rookie in a Williams and Alonso’s own team-mate.
On track, the car looked pretty decent in the corners - and the engineers said Alonso reported positive feelings on downforce and balance - but it sounded dreadful on the straights, each upshift accompanied by a graunching sound that gave the impression the engine was tearing itself apart. Which as the sound is related to the vibration issue that is troubling Honda, is effectively what is going on.
Alonso did not mince his words. “Everybody is working day and night to improve the situation," he said. “We brought a lot of new parts for the car here. But there's rule changes, a golden chance to catch Mercedes. It's the third year in terms of the engine project, so we have to be much higher up. Last year we were fighting for Q3 more or less regularly. In 50% of the races we made it and in the other 50% we were very close, so not being in the top five or six this year is not a reaction at all.”