Stoffel Vandoorne: "I felt comfortable in the car"

Stoffel Vandoorne says he he was pleased with how the final day of week one of testing went in Barcelona, as the team ran without any major issues.

The first few days of the test was damaged for McLaren due to some engine faults, but yesterday in wet-to-dry conditions, the Belgian managed to clock up 67 laps without major car trouble.

"I’m really pleased both Fernando and I were able to spend a full day in the car with no major issues, get a good amount of valuable mileage under our belt and complete our scheduled run plans on both days.

"The addition of the wet testing was also interesting as it was the first opportunity for us to try out a wet weather set-up with the new tyres and under the new regulations. I felt comfortable in the car, even in the wet, which has provided us with valuable data and given me a good feel for how the car reacts in varying track conditions."

Vandoorne admits that the team struggled initially, but has thanked all the McLaren personnel for the effort put into getting the car out on track.

"We had a difficult start to the week, but I want to say thank you to the team for all their hard work over the past four days. We’ve managed a solid couple of days’ running and made good progress, and I’m really proud of the team effort to ensure we could make the most of our track time. I hope we can continue this momentum and have a strong week at the next test."

Fergal Walsh