Mclaren has made some 'surprisingly good' steps forward says Alonso

Former McLaren Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso says that his former team has made a 'surprisingly good' step forward as they prepare for the 2019 season. The Spanish racer has stepped down from Formula 1 but will be involved with McLaren in his role as an ambassador. Alonso attempts the complete the triple crown this year with the support of McLaren.

Alonso left Formula 1 after a dismal few years with McLaren but it seems that the British team have started to make some progress.

“There are areas that we need to revise and develop to improve performance,” Alonso said. “But in other areas, we are surprisingly good."

Alonso admits that “It’s not perfect yet, but the direction is right.”

Drivers Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris enjoyed some solid laps in winter testing in Barcelona last week. Although these lap times are not always an accurate representation of how the season will play out, things sound more positive at McLaren.

However, when Red Bull official Helmut Marko was asked to try and predict the grid for 2019 he said, “Ferrari is ahead, then it’s us in front of Mercedes. And then there is the big midfield, where it will be very tight,” he told Speed Week.

It will be interesting to see which teams have progressed and which teams have failed to improve when the season starts in under two weeks.