F1: Honda issue ends McLaren's day early

Related Stories

McLaren has been forced to cut short Fernando Alonso's running on the penultimate day of pre-season Formula 1 testing at Jerez thanks to further Honda engine problems.

The team had its most encouraging morning of the test so far on Tuesday, as Alonso completed a total of 32 laps. It came after a frustrating first two days where the Spaniard and his teammate Jenson Button had managed just six laps each.

But having appeared to make some progress with its power unit, a problem on the Honda turbo engine has forced the team to abandon running for the day.

A tweet from the team said: "We've had a loss of cooling water pressure and have removed the power unit for inspection. That's a long process, so it ends today's running.

"We can replace those components ahead of running tomorrow. The issue was promptly spotted by Fernando on an out-lap, so quick to trace."

McLaren has renewed its partnership with Honda for 2015 in a bid to get itself back to the front of the grid. Despite a difficult first week, the team has remained bullish that the potential of its aggressive new car and engine will deliver results.

"Being brave and ambitious means we're not reliable," Racing director Eric Boullier said earlier this week. "I want to be cautious on this because every time we try to fix one [problem], we open up something else further."

Originally on Autosport.com