Alonso Warns McLaren Are Better than They Look

McLaren Mercedes will be fighting for a podium position in the opening round of the 2011 Formula 1 championship, scheduled 2 weekends from now in Australia. This is the opinion of 2-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who told reporters that McLaren's recent form in testing does not show their car's true potential for this season.

“They're better than they look,” said the Spaniard in a recent interview with El Pais newspaper. “Winter testing doesn't explain anything. They say themselves that they are expecting a little more, so perhaps they will be at a similar level to the best (in Australia) and then go on ahead.”

“When we get there, we'll see. McLaren are not going to be fighting for tenth place, but rather (for) the podium,” he added.

Before the last test of the off-season last week, in Barcelona, both McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button had complained about poor mileage at the wheel of the MP4-26, especially since the car was launched after the first group test in Valencia (therefore missing the first 3 days of action this winter).

Last week's test was no picnic either for the Woking based team, whose car experiences some hydraulic leaks that hampered Hamilton's programme early in the test.

Moving on to the controversial issue of the new Pirelli tires and the way they wear out so fast this year, Alonso admitted that the new rubber will have a greater impact on braking rather than on traction this year.

“Before (with Bridgestone), you would come to the end of the straight and step on the brake with all your strength. Now if you do that, you block the wheels, especially the rears. The traction is also worse. Before you would step on the accelerator quickly out of a corner, but now it's more measured. You have to be much more sensitive,” Alonso pointed out.