McLaren are to consider swapping Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne’s test days following the Spaniard’s opening lap crash during the Austrian Grand Prix.
The reason for this is that they only had one of each upgrade, all of which were bolted to Alonso’s car, which was heavily damaged when he was collected by Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari.
A new shorter nose, front-wing and rear-wing were all destroyed when Raikkonen hit the McLaren, forcing it into the barrier before it came to a rest atop the Finn’s monocoque.
Therefore the team are hurriedly manufacturing replacement parts back at their Woking factory, but they’re unsure if they will be ready for the opening day of the test which starts on Tuesday.
Alonso is scheduled to drive first, but by swapping him and Vandoorne, it’s hoped that the additional 24 hours will ensure the two-time champion can provide feedback on the new parts, whilst Vandoorne will run the old-spec car raced by Jenson Button.
A final decision is expected to be made on Monday evening.
