Zak Brown: “My best racing weekend” in Bahrain

What if 2019 marked the beginning of the true revival of McLaren ? After a 2018 transition campaign with adaptation to the engine block Renault and the end of his career Fernando Alonso, this season began under the sign of novelty with the joint arrivals of Carlos Sainz et Lando Norris.

The Briton was the best representative of the Woking clan during the second race of the year in Bahrain last weekend, signing his first points with a sixth place after an event marked by the interesting pace of his MCL34 .

“There was a little slight at the start (with Kimi Räikkönen), which set me back but made the race more fun, commented the former FIA resident F2. Unlike Australia, I was able to overtake here.

We were a little lucky with the abandonment of the Renault in front (that ofHulkenberg. Editor's note) but it's not as if we had finished 9th and 10th in the snatch. Our pace was excellent. It’s great to finish 6th and score my first points in F1 »

Enough to delight Zak Brown, head of McLaren, who sees ever brighter prospects with the English team, stuck in a second failed marriage with Honda between 2015 and 2017.

“Australia was my favorite race weekend until Bahrain, which just came ahead, says Brown. There is still a long way to go, but the team has done a great job since winter testing. It’s great to have a tough time with teams that we’re no longer used to competing with. »

Discover the full report and analysis of the Bahrain Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents on the Sakhir circuit, in AUTO issue 2210hebdo, available in digital version and on newsstands.