Returning to the scenes of the team’s disastrous winter testing period, McLaren were obviously hoping for some trouble-free running in Spanish GP practice.
However, Alonso’s Friday practice got off to the worst possible start, after the two-time champion’s McLaren MCL32 broke down on his outlap in FP1.
In fact, his car only managed two corners before it was hit by problems on the run to the fast Turn 3.
Yep, sad Alonso is definitely making a comeback…
Alonso was heading into the quick right-hand corner when his car snapped and he spun off, with smoke surrounding the car (both from the engine and the tyres sliding along the track).
He quickly got out of the car, with the TV cameras zooming in on a large leak underneath it, which contributed to the abrupt spin.
It appears the rear wheels locked and Alonso admitted afterwards the “engine blew up” and failed. So, a pretty disappointing start to the weekend for the Spaniard in front of his home fans.
What made it even worse was the fact Alonso was last in a racing car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for his maiden IndyCar test, where he did 110 problem-free laps.
We saw the large nature of the leak when the McLaren F1 car was recovered by a crane and lifted into the air.
As it tipped backwards, large amounts of fluid poured out the back of the car. So, that was a pretty serious engine failure.
Alonso actually left the circuit after his FP1 woes but he should be back for FP2.
It’s painful to see McLaren still suffering such big and attention-grabbing issues, many months after their tough winter testing period in Barcelona. It’s like nothing’s changed…
