Alonso 'out of fuel' speculation denied by McLaren boss
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has denied Fernando Alonso was forced to retire from the Australian Grand Prix because his McLaren-Honda ran out of fuel, possibly intentionally.
The Spaniard raced inside the points for much of the 2017 F1 opener but was down to 12th when he withdrew seven laps from the chequered flag with what was swiftly communicated as a suspension issue.
Despite this, Alonso has remained critical of his Honda-powered MCL32 package in the run up to the Chinese Grand Prix amidst speculation that there was another more fundamental reason for his exit in Australia, namely a lack of fuel to get him to the end.
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Indeed, speaking to media at the Shanghai International Circuit, Alonso made reference to the fact he is having to undergo significant fuel saving measures to reach the end of the race.
"In Australia it was a record for us with fuel saving, so it's going to be difficult this year as long as the engine doesn't improve. It's not power, it's many things -- It's reliability, it's fuel saving and there are a lot more implications on the driving that we cannot drive normally because we need to drive around the engine. It's quite difficult and hard now to drive the car, but we are doing our best to help the team.
Alonso's comments have given rise to speculation that he ran the car harder than it was capable of in Melbourne, a suggestion corroborated by Esteban Ocon's claim that he found it surprisingly difficult to get by a car supposedly well down on pace.
However, Brown has stepped in to deny this being the case, telling Sky Sports F1 "no no no, definitely not true'"
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Brown went on to empathise with Alonso's frustrations and called on him to keep motivating the team through the struggles.
"He's a great individual, I'm just getting to know him in a much more close working relationship. I find him great on and off the track. His motivation is high, he loves the team, he really likes the car. He likes the new rules, he spoke about whether he was going to like the new cars or not, he's definitely given them two thumbs up. We need him to help push us and push our partners.
"He's a world champion. Everyone feels for him, we're all doing the best we can. He knows that. He's been in racing long enough to know things take time. He's hanging in there and he's pushing us, and lots of communication with him."
Following a long partnership with ExxonMobil, McLaren-Honda are using BP-Castrol fuel and lubricants for F1 2017.
