Fernando Alonso has said that up until the point of his retirement at the Malaysian Grand Prix, his MP4-30 was performing much better than he had expected.
The Spaniard raced on Sunday for the first time this season after missing the opening race in Australia. It is second time Alonso has debuted for McLaren after a one season stint in 2007.
Alonso was running in a respectable 8th position when on lap 20 he was told to bring the car slowly back to the pits on lap 20 after a suspected ERS cooling issue.
Alonso was told by his race engineer: “We have a car problem and that’s the end of our race.”
Despite not finishing in his first race back, Alonso was impressed with the progress made by both McLaren and new engine supplier Honda since he last drove the car in testing last month.
Speaking after his retirement the Spaniard said: “The car went better than expected until the retirement,”
“To be able to run with the pack and even catch the Red Bulls before the pit stops was nice surprise.
“We had some technical issues which we are investigating but it has been a nice weekend.”
He continued: “If we keep this rate up, we will enjoy success very soon.”
Image Courtesy Of McLaren Honda F1 Team
