Alonso expects Abu Dhabi to be 'trickier' than Brazil

Fernando Alonso believes that the Yas Marina track in Abu Dhabi will prove to be a tougher test than Interlagos in Brazil, as he and his McLaren team prepare for what they hope will be a positive finish to the 2017 campaign.

Alonso collected consecutive points finishes in Mexico and then in Brazil, but thinks that the different surroundings in Abu Dhabi, in particular the two long straights, will expose the supposed inferior engine that McLaren-Honda has compared to the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari.

"Yas Marina Circuit is a trickier one for us than Brazil," said Alonso.

"We had an unexpectedly good result at Interlagos, but we're anticipating a tougher challenge in Abu Dhabi.Of course, the whole team wants to finish the season on a high, so we're working hard to extract every last bit of performance out of the MCL32.

"Qualifying is crucial on this track because overtaking is tricky, so it's important we get the set-up right as early as we can in the weekend."

No matter what happens in Yas Marina, this will be the last partnership between McLaren and Honda for the foreseeable future as the racing team have now secured the engine-constructing services of Renault with a three-year contract starting for the 2018 season.

The chief of McLaren, Eric Boullier, insists that everyone at the organisation will look back on the connection with Honda with sentimentality.

"I know I can speak for the whole team when I say that each and every one of us embarks on our final Grand Prix weekend as McLaren-Honda in Abu Dhabi with both optimism and respect," he said.

"Every single person has worked incredibly hard over the past three years and remained committed through the highs and lows we've experienced together until the very last race.

"All of us will go into the weekend with exactly the same aim – to work hard and do everything we can to finish the season positively."