McLaren are preparing themselves for another "tough challenge" this weekend in Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, straight off the back off a difficult race in Belgium which saw them leave empty handed.
The British outfit identified Spa and Monza, two high-speed circuits, as likely weak points in their season as the Honda power unit lacks straight-line speed despite several upgrades this year which have seemingly missed the mark.
In Belgium last weekend Alonso qualified a strong 11th and was running as high as 7th at the start of the race, but the long Kemmel straight saw rivals breeze past, leaving the Spaniard unable to do anything as he tumbled down the order, eventually retiring a few laps from the end.
Both he and team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne expect more of the same this weekend.
"It’s the fastest circuit on the calendar in terms of outright speed, and for a driver it’s an incredible feeling racing down those iconic straights punctuated by the tight chicanes and big, fast corners that require a huge amount of commitment," commented Alonso.
"We’ve always said this circuit wouldn’t suit our package, and we expect a tough challenge. Although it’s power-hungry like Spa, it’s also different in many ways. Spa is a long race; the Monza circuit is short and sharp and the race always feels like it’s over very quickly."
Vandoorne added: "Spa was definitely a tough race for us, and we’ve always identified Belgium and Italy as two difficult weekends for us.
"It was hard to manage our pace with the rest of the pack on the straights, and we’re preparing ourselves for the same thing at Monza, but of course we’ll push hard every day throughout the weekend to try and give ourselves the best chance of a good result. "
