The McLaren team were greatly encouraged with the Red Bull win in Malaysia. Since the Austrian squad used unbranded Renault engines, it helped McLaren put more faith behind their decision. They have been saying that they had the best chassis but they were unable to prove it. This is because they do not have any other Honda-powered team to compare it to. In 2018, McLaren will be able to match up against the likes of Red Bull and Renault.

On the Red Bull Win

Alonso said “We saw in Monza a very good performance from Red Bull, which is a power circuit. We were already quite happy with that Red Bull performance. Malaysia was another step forward, they beat the Mercedes without rain, without any different strategy, without anything. So that was good.”

But he warned that the Red Bull win put some pressure on McLaren. He believes that the Austrian outfit’s car is quite efficient right now, and is quite powerful on the chassis side. He stressed on the need to improve the chassis side, because Red Bull proved that the engine can deliver wins.

The Spaniard continued “We need to match that performance on the chassis, and that is a challenge for sure.” He also believes that McLaren can challenge Red Bull. “I think that the challenge is, how can McLaren be in front? But McLaren should never be afraid of matching any other team, because McLaren should beat any other team.”

Looking Ahead to Suzuka

Red Bull are now beginning to establish themselves as serious contenders for victory. Ferrari’s troubles in Singapore and Verstappen beating Hamilton in Malaysia means that the momentum is with Red Bull. In free practice 1, they were right up there among their rivals.