JUNE 1, 2016

Alonso says Honda engine upgrade coming for Canada

McLaren and Honda have played down Fernando Alonso's claim that the decision to take an upgraded engine to Canada next weekend has already been taken.

McLaren and Honda have played down Fernando Alonso's claim that the decision to take an upgraded engine to Canada next weekend has already been taken.

The Anglo-Japanese team expected a more competitive weekend on the twisty streets of Monaco last weekend but Spaniard Alonso remains upbeat about what is coming.

"There is much room for improvement," the sports daily Marca quotes him as saying.

"We're going to Canada with some improvements, particularly with the engine. Let's see if we start to use some tokens and can be more competitive," Alonso reported added.

But McLaren team boss Eric Boullier denies a decision has been taken, telling Marca: "About the engine in Canada? No, certainly not."

And a Honda spokesman agreed: "It is not decided yet."

Finally, Red Bull said it is looking forward to seeing how its package fares in Canada, after Max Verstappen won in Barcelona and Daniel Ricciardo dominated almost all weekend in Monaco with Renault's latest upgrade.

"The real test for us will be in Montreal," said team boss Christian Horner. "It's a completely different place compared to the last two circuits."

(GMM)