According to racing director Eric Boullier, this year’s MP4-31 has a chance at outpacing Ferrari at the Monaco Grand Prix thanks to its superior chassis.
Boullier even gave a prediction when asked by Autosport on where he thought his drivers would finish next weekend, stating that “on paper we could be between six and eight, I think.”
When asked to clarify if that would mean being behind only Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, Boullier responded by saying: “Ferrari, not sure. Not sure Ferrari is a threat. Red Bull definitely, Toro Rosso, who have quite a good car, and Mercedes.”
Boullier clearly believes that his team has the 3rd-best chassis in all of F1 – a position he also felt strongly about last season.
“Last year we were third, but close with Williams and Ferrari. Now it is Mercedes, Red Bull, ourselves, then Ferrari, Toro Rosso and Williams. They are clearly behind now.”
Because McLaren’s Honda unit still lacks power, Monaco happens to be the ideal venue for the team to take advantage of the car’s other characteristics that would make the deficit less apparent.
“We are still missing a little bit of power from the power unit, but Monaco is a circuit where it is not so important so we have a chance to deliver even more,” added Fernando Alonso.
If McLaren does score points in Monaco, it would further cement their ranking in the Constructors championship as a viable rival to the likes of Force India and perhaps even Haas for this year.
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