Alonso admits that expectations are growing at McLaren
Alonso admits that expectations are growing at McLaren
Fernando Alonso has admitted that expectations for McLaren are much bigger this season than in the past three campaigns due to their change from Honda engines to Renault parts, and revealed that the atmosphere behind the scenes within the team is a positive one.
McLaren have not won the constructor's championship in 20 years and the last three seasons have been completely devoid of even Grand Prix success, with their lack of wins attributed to their troubles with Honda.
Alonso won his two world championships with Renault over 10 years ago so knows the French manufacturer has the power to catapult McLaren to more success. He claims that, due to the change from Honda, expectations are much higher this season.
"We're going to be much more competitive. I don't know how much," Alonso told AS.
"Last year Red Bull looked like they were going to be strong due to the change in the rules, yet they had a slow start. [Max] Verstappen was forced to retire from a few races, they had completed less laps than us halfway through the year.
"For the expectations on Red Bull, that's a big blow. You always get asked if you are going to have a good car, but if you start badly, it's a huge comedown, so we can't anticipate anything."
"What I can say is that expectations are higher now than they have been during the past three years. The atmosphere at the factory is more positive, and everyone is determined to go that extra bit further, because we all want to be much more competitive - and I think we will be."
Not only has Alonso not won the world championship since 2006, but he has not even won a race since 2013. However, he remains one of the most talented drivers in the sport, with many commentators tipping him for a race win this campaign.
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Verstappen takes F1 swipe at Hamilton and rivals with ruthless remark
- 29 minutes ago
Marko defends Ricciardo in 'unbelievable' idiot claim
- 1 hour ago
Hamilton hints at sensational Newey arrival at Ferrari
- 2 hours ago
Suspended Red Bull employee 'grilled' as Horner saga given potential END DATE
- 3 hours ago
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
- Today 18:58
F1 boss HITS BACK at star driver over schedule complaints
- Today 17:58
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860