Alonso confident McLaren can play for podium in 2018

After winter testing marked by reliability concerns and a mixed start to the weekend in Australia, Alonso had been able to take advantage of a Virtual Safety Car to score big points with his MCL33 engine Renault.  

The double world champion, who like his team is coming out of three struggling seasons with Honda, indicates that the next races will be crucial to affirm the renewed ambitions of McLaren, starting with the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend.

« The car shows great potential, said Alonso at the FIA ​​press conference in Sakhir. We've had our ups and downs this winter. We were also lucky with the abandonment of Haas in Australia and the virtual safety car. There is still a lot to improve to catch up with the top three teams because the gap is still significant.

Bridging this gap now relies on our ability to develop the car to be more competitive. For the first time in 3 years, it's entirely up to us. The next two months will be decisive in knowing more about the hopes we can have this season. If we are not yet fighting for the championship, I hope we can compete for the podium. »

When he was relaunched on the gap which still separates McLaren from the very first roles, the Spaniard first released a monosyllabic response with a look of defiance. Before developing his argument.

« In Australia, we were only two places away from the Top 3 and the last 10 laps were quite close between Räikkönen and Ricciardo. Anything can happen during a race. I remember winning two races in 2008 (Singapore and Japan, editor’s note) with a car that was not the benchmark. In 2009, it was even worse with the introduction of KERS and I still managed to make a podium (Singapore, editor’s note) while we finished eighth in the Manufacturers' championship. If you navigate the points, sooner or later the opportunity will present itself and we will be there to seize it."