Some more crucial laps on board after problematic Jerez debut
Tuesday 17 February 2015 13:11, UK
McLaren have geared up for the second test with their new MP4-30 in Barcelona by conducting a pair of filming days at the Circuit de Catalunya.
The Woking team endured a disjointed first four days of running on their reunion with Honda a fortnight ago at Jerez, with the car’s meagre tally of 79 laps placing them at the bottom of the test’s mileage chart.
Engineering director Matt Morris described the reliability problems as “small, annoying issues” and McLaren are hopeful of completing more sustained running when the first of the back-to-back Barcelona tests commences on Thursday.
As permitted under F1’s testing regulations, teams can complete two promotional events on a track during the course of a year, each limited to 100km, and McLaren decided to arrive at the Spanish circuit early in order to conduct filming days on Monday and Tuesday.
Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso were in attendance, with Button putting some vital more laps on the MP4-30 around the Spanish GP venue. Button will be back on track during the first two days of the winter’s second group test, with new team-mate Alonso taking over for the weekend.
The Sky Sports F1 Online team will be providing live commentary from all four days of both Barcelona tests. Sky Sports News HQ will also have live updates from trackside.
