Boullier: Our winter test programme has been difficult

Much was expected from the reunification of McLaren and Honda, but since the partnership broke cover in Abu Dhabi late last year the combination has been plagued with problems and it can be said that it has been a winter horribilis for the Woking outfit

Reflecting on the preseason testing that started in Jerez last month, Eric Boullier, McLaren-Honda racing director said, “Looking back at the last four weeks, our winter test programme has been difficult. However, that wasn’t entirely unexpected: this time last year, we saw many teams in a similar situation when they introduced new power units for the first time."

"This year, we also had the added complexity that very tight packaging brings. In overview, the lack of mileage means we won’t be as ready as we’d have liked, but we can take away the positive that all the running and data gathering we’ve done have confirmed that we’re achieving the targets we set ourselves."

"Even if it’s likely to be a difficult start to the season, we know we can develop hard and fast, and that we’ll surely unlock the huge potential that lies within the McLaren-Honda MP4-30," added Boullier.

The tea themselves summed up: "While our test programme has been largely affected by unreliability, and by a lack of running, there’s plenty of optimism that the performance foundations for the partnership are strong, and that development will continue strongly – especially during the early part of the season."

Several question marks loom over the team on the eve of the season opening Australian Grand Prix, apart from a questionable state of readiness, there is the issue of Fernando Alonso's mysterious crash and his subsequent 'injury' - although all signs indicate the Spaniard will be on the grid in Melbourne.