Alonso: Sochi will reveal true performance of McLaren

Fernando Alonso believes Sochi will reveal the "true performance" of the MCL33, following a very disappointing season for the Woking-based side.

McLaren had a change of engine producer from Honda to Renault this season, and big things were expected of the British side this season - but in fact, the opposite has happened.

Reliability issues, tactical mistakes and the sheer lack of power have helped the downfall of the team.

Alonso, who is retiring at the end of the season, is expecting a tough weekend for McLaren in Russia - and believes the team's performance at Sochi will be a fair indication of where they are in the midfield battle.

"In a way, it's a weekend to prove our true performance," Alonso said. "I think we've been in quite extreme circuits lately, Spa and Monza probably the two weak circuits of our package.