Date Wednesday 18 May 2016 Driver Stoffel Vandoorne Location Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (4.655km/2.892 miles) Laps/km/miles 108/502.74km/312.388milesBest lap-time 1m24.006s
Programme
Day two of the Barcelona in-season test saw McLaren-Honda Reserve Driver Stoffel Vandoorne return to the cockpit of the MP4-31 for the first time since his point-scoring debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The day’s run plan was a continuation of yesterday’s test, evaluating components, fine-tuning set-up and adding to the data gathered.
The morning’s running focused on tyre testing and strategy, specifically on the softer tyre compounds, with several runs on the Supersoft tyre.
Stoffel Vandoorne, Reserve Driver
“The car felt good straight away today. Of course, I had a few laps of adjusting to the car, but it definitely has progressed since I raced it in Bahrain. It’s been a positive and productive day.
“Although it’s easier to get into the car having experienced a full race weekend, there is always a need to readjust for F1, especially after racing in Super Formula, but I quickly got used to it.
“The car feels better in every area, with downforce feeling much improved compared to Bahrain.
“As a racing driver, you want to spend as much time as possible in the car, but I try and optimise every moment I have, and I feel like I’ve had the chance to do that today.
“All in all, the progress with the car is good, so I’m happy.” Dave Redding, Team Manager
"As we have come to expect, Stoffel has driven both quickly and consistently, providing good feedback on each and every test item on the programme.
"The morning started with a continuation of the aero correlation work from yesterday. Once completed, the rest of the morning was spent evaluating both aero and mechanical changes on new tyres, with the afternoon spent carrying out a similar programme on used tyres over longer runs. The programme featured both Monaco-specific upgrades, as well as medium-term development components.
"Both the chassis and power unit have run without any issues on both days, which, combined with the team's hard work, has meant we have been able to get through our extensive test programme."
Satoshi Nakamura, Honda R&D Co Ltd Principal Engineer
"We have finished another good day of testing with Stoffel behind the wheel, with 108 laps and the run programme completed.
"During the morning, we continued the power unit mapping that we started yesterday, targeted for the Monaco circuit. We spent the afternoon on longer stints and race simulation, in which we focused heavily on energy management.
"The data gathered will be further analysed in Japan, and fine-tuned for next weekend's race."
The team heads back to its bases in Woking, Sakura and Milton Keynes, to consolidate the data secured during the test and prepare the cars ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix in 10 days' time, where McLaren will be celebrating a significant milestone: 50 years of F1 racing.
