McLaren is still waiting for confirmation from Honda to see if Stoffel Vandoorne will get a penalty for an engine change at Singapore Grand Prix.
Marina Bay’s low-speed track with its tight corners is one of the best circuits for McLaren’s cars as the team is known for its chassis that performs well on high downforce tracks.
But their chances for a top finish may not come true if Honda cannot repair Vandoorne’s MGU-K shaft that broke on his engine at the Spa race. The shaft failed during Spa qualifying race but the part could not be changed before the race and its repeated failure caused the Belgian to the retire in the race.
There is still hope that Honda can repair the engine without the need to replace it. But Honda has not confirmed how they will proceed further.
McLaren’s Racing Director Eric Boullier said: “Singapore is one of the best chances of the year in terms of matching our package to the characteristics of this gruelling street circuit.
“We’ve worked hard to try to avoid incurring any penalties which could halt our progress there, and we hope that following Stoffel’s retirement in Monza we won’t have to use any new power unit elements, although this is yet to be officially confirmed.”
Honda introduced spec 3.6 at the Italian GP which helped Vandoorne to go till Q3 at the Italian GP although the high-speed tracks of Monza are not really suited for McLaren’s cars.
Since Marina Bay circuit is better suited for the team, Boullier is hoping for a better points haul at their favourite track of the year.
“The second best after Budapest,” he explained. “In Singapore, it should be both cars in Q3 as a target.”
