MX23RW : Friday, November 8 12:51:20| >> :120:20869:20869:

McLaren 'prepared for tough start in 2015'

Eric Boullier admits that McLaren are facing a tough start to the new Formula 1 campaign following a rocky pre-season.

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier has admitted that the team are preparing themselves for a difficult to start to the new Formula 1 season.

The Woking-based constructor has been beset by problems with reliability in winter testing and have regularly failed to match the test mileage of their rivals.

McLaren also saw new driver Fernando Alonso taken to hospital following a high-speed crash in Barcelona, and Boullier admitted that those problems will likely mean that the team will be playing catch-up at the start of the 2015 campaign.

"Looking back at the last four weeks, our winter test programme has been difficult," he told reporters.

"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."

McLaren are without a race win since Lewis Hamilton's final victory for the team in 2012 at the United States Grand Prix.

ID:208608: cacheID:208608:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2330:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Fernando Alonso is transferred to hospital after crashing during testing on February 22, 2015
Read Next:
Alonso stays in hospital overnight
>
rhs 2.0


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!