On a hot and humid day at the Sepang circuit, McLaren enjoyed a smooth and fast start to their weekend with both cars finishing inside the top ten for both practice sessions without issue.
With Fernando Alonso taking a 30 place grid penalty because of a brand new upgraded new power unit being installed in the back of the MP4-31, focus on race pace was the order of the day. He was quite buoyed by his day’s work finishing fifth in FP1 and seventh in FP2.
Alonso said “The new asphalt is a good improvement: there’s a lot more grip. Last year, my best Friday time was a 1m42.5s; this year I set 1.36.2 – so that’s six seconds in one year. If you consider the car has improved by two- to two-and-a-half-seconds, we get a further three seconds from the asphalt. It’s a good sensation to have so much grip.”
Jenson Button finished tenth in both sessions on Friday and, like his teammate, felt good about the progress made through the day. Button said “We were out a bit late in FP2 because some of the set-up changes we made to the car took a little bit longer than we thought. That meant I got out when everybody else was on high-fuel. Then I caught up with Kevin [Magnussen] in Turn 10, and he kept on the racing line, which hurt me in terms of lap-time.”
Neither driver found a definitive set-up on the Sepang circuit which seems to have a whole new character, giving the drivers a fresh new challenge. A changeable weather forecast over the next few days could play a factor in how the weekend fairs for them, but the team feel confident there is still much to play for during the remainder of the weekend.
