McLaren: We just need to improve our reliability

Test and reserve driver Kevin Magnussen deputised for Fernando Alonso in Barcelona today, completing a useful test programme – as well as providing an always-useful additional opinion on the car.

Kevin quickly got to grips with the car, his first outing in MP4-30, but his programme was cut short by an oil leak.

Yasuhisa Arai, Honda R&D senior managing officer – chief officer of motorsport: “The power unit systems are all functioning well, and the spec is race-ready. We just need more practice on race simulation, and to improve our reliability. We still have strong ambitions to improve, and tomorrow we’ll be tackling durability issues.”

Kevin Magnussen: “This year’s car is really different to last year’s. It feels much more consistent; it’s more predictable and driver-friendly. It’s not fast enough yet, but it feels like a solid baseline, and there’s obviously still plenty more to come. I think McLaren-Honda should have a good car if they continue in this direction. It’s nice to be back in the car. I always enjoy driving new cars, and this is a car I haven’t driven before. I can see the work we did last year has gone into this car. It’s good working with Honda, they’re a very enthusiastic team, you can feel they have a desire to succeed – they’re here to win. It will take time, but that’s what they’re here to do.”