Vandoorne: New Honda engine provides "no big" difference
- Published on 07 Jul 2017 13:11
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- By: Chris Soulsby
McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne has revealed that the he believes that the new "spec 3" Honda engine that the team is running this weekend will provide no major improvement in performance, joining Fernando Alonso in opinion to expect "nothing" from the engine update.
"I do not think it will make a big difference," Vandoorne told Belgium's RTBF in Austria. "We will have to see if there is really a performance gain on the track in first practice. What is positive is that there is something new, so from that point of view any small tenths are welcome."
After FP1 in Austria, McLaren ended the session in seventh and ninth fastest, suggesting that small inroads have been made in gaining performance. However, the best times that the McLaren pair set were on the fastest ultrasoft tyre compound while the rest of the field apart from Esteban Ocon and Force India development driver, Alfonso Celis Jr, posted their fastest times on either the soft or the supersoft tyre. For this reason, come qualifying, it is difficult to expect that the "spec 3" update will provide the performance gain that McLaren is looking for.
While McLaren's struggle with Honda continues, Renault's Nico Hulkenberg confirmed that the MCL-32 is the oddest sounding car on the grid. "In the slow corners, it is by far the loudest," he told Auto Motor und Sport after spending some time trackside in Baku. "It gargles and rattles like a truck and you wonder how it can race at all. Then when they go on the throttle, the engine suddenly becomes quiet and you can almost not hear it at all."
Chris Soulsby
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Replies (7)
Login to replyKevin
Posts: 5,294
7th and 9th in FP1. Looks like gains have been made, like Hasegawa promised. But let's see how they will perform the rest of the weekend.
Patentprutser
Posts: 388
If this one is reliable, they make a huge leap!
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
It doesnt have to, as long as it gives some degree of power boost along with a massive reliability increase, Im pleased. and 7th and 9th looks nice enough, too early to call shots, but promising.
HEINZ
Posts: 61
Did u actually read the article? It said that they were running on ultrasofts while the others were on softs and supersofts, hence the lap time difference...
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Well, yes we did, however I've also heard the pundits saying several times that the time differences between the U, SS and S were minimal. So it might be down to them using U's, but the upgrades might also have played into it.
krommenaas
Posts: 155
They were top 10 in Monaco as well. Some tracks just suit them better.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Yeah, though this shouldnt be one, since its supposed to be an engine intense track.