Fernando Alonso sends out a warning to McLaren

Fernando Alonso’s mixed start to the season will face its actual litmus test in the Bahrain GP when McLaren’s reliability will be the centre of attraction as it tries to breakaway from the established midfield.

Alonso was able to end up 5th at Melbourne keeping Verstappen off his wheels and holding on to get points on the board for the Woking team.

After the race, the air around McLaren and the men that matter say that McLaren would now be targeting the top 3 rather than worrying too much about the midfield.

Alonso, though wants to ensure that despite the positive start, McLaren shouldn’t be complacent about their position, as the Australian Grand Prix results were largely because of the pit stop failures on part of the Haas team.

“After a positive start to the season, I’m already really excited to head to Bahrain and get back in the car. Australia gave us a positive feeling and I hope we can continue that momentum as we head into these back-to-back races.

“I know the team are working hard back at the factory to push through the upgrades that are in the pipeline, as these, along with the development work we’re doing on the chassis and with the power unit, are what will be key to unlocking further performance from our car.

“We mustn’t get complacent – these two races in Bahrain and Shanghai are tough on the cars and it’s important that we maintain good reliability if we are to maximise our potential. The competition is very strong and we need to keep pushing forward for more points.” Alonso said.

How will McLaren fare in Bahrain?