McLaren-Honda is prepared for “another” difficult event at this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix, due to the characteristics of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
The operation has endured a troubled a 2017 season, amid a lack of reliability and performance, though both Stoffel Vandoorne and Jenson Button made Q3 in Monaco, while the Belgian ran in the top 10 in the race until a late error.
However, the high-speed nature of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve places a greater emphasis on the power unit, with McLaren-Honda’s plight likely to exacerbated by the high fuel consumption experienced at the venue.
“This power-hungry, demanding track will not play to our strengths,” said Honda chief Yusuke Hasegawa.
“With its power-oriented nature, stop and start corners, abrasive surface and long straights, it will no doubt be another challenging race weekend for us.
“However, we will keep pushing forward, no matter how tough the challenge ahead.”
McLaren Racing Director Eric Boullier emphasised that the outfit will “maximise” any available opportunity.
“While the traits [of the circuit] won’t suit the strengths of our package, we are still pushing the envelope at every race by bringing useful developments that are correlating well and eking out more performance,” he said.
“We still have a long way to go, and this circuit will be a tricky platform on which our package is less likely to shine.
“But we will work hard as always to maximise what we have in our armoury and take advantage of every opportunity on track.”
McLaren has not registered a top 10 finish in Canada since reuniting with Honda at the start of 2015, and has yet to score a point this season.
Fernando Alonso will return to the cockpit of the MCL32, alongside Vandoorne, having missed the Monaco Grand Prix in order to compete at the Indianapolis 500.
