All eyes were once again on McLaren Honda on the third day of winter testing in Jerez.
After two days of winter testing McLaren Honda had completed just 33 miles of running.
On day one, Fernando Alonso completed just 6 laps, whilst on day two Jenson Button matched that tally.
An awkward start to life back in Formula One was to be expected for Honda, they of course do have 12 months of catching up to do on Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault.
But their poor start was beginning to raise questions. Would they suffer the indigaty of completing less laps than Red Bull Racing at this point last year?
Red Bull and Renault struggled during the early sessions of 2014 completing just 21 laps in four days, with McLaren over half way there to improving upon that record would they get across the line on Tuesday?
Yes was the answer, with former two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso completing 32 laps. It was the lowest of all the teams on the day, but boosts McLaren to over 100 miles of running.
?The driver feedback was very, very positive, Fernando said the car was reacting well to changes and felt stable.’ McLaren racing director Eric Boullier told Sky Sports.
?The good thing about the car running 10 laps in a row is that [it showed] there are no design or concept issues. The car is amazing, it is very small and tiny. Honda have worked very hard with McLaren to ensure we can design such a car. It is thanks to our partners that we can run hotter engines with smaller radiators and cooling systems. Our car is very extreme ? which is why it was a relief to see it running today.
?It?s good to see that the car is effectively able to run straight out of the box, without any major issues. That?s the most positive point of the day.?
Signs of progress for McLaren?
