A frustrated Fernando Alonso was left ruing another disappointing start to the first day of his Formula One pre-season as history repeated itself in Barcelona on Monday.
Alonso, the 35-year-old Spaniard, completed fewer miles than any other driver here following a day in which McLaren's much-maligned engine partner Honda encountered more reliability issues.
The double world champion was restricted to watching the majority of the opening-day action unfold from the sidelines after an oil leak.
Indeed Alonso, who suffered reliability woes on th e opening day of testing at Jerez in 2015, managed just 29 laps. That was in stark contrast to Lewis Hamilton's dominant Mercedes team which racked up more than two race distances while Sebastian Vettel completed 128 trouble-free laps for Ferrari.
"It is definitely not the perfect start for winter testing," said a clearly disgruntled Alonso. "We are disappointed and we are sad to arrive to the first day and not be able to run.
"We know, and we are aware, of the time we lost. We have four days for each driver before the world championship starts and now one day has gone so I have three days to prepare for the world championship. It is not an ideal situation.
"But there is nothing more we can do other than to learn from whatever has happened to the car and try to recover the time.
"Hopefully Honda can quickly find the solutions so we can have more normal days for the rest of the week."
Alonso, widely regarded as one of the finest drivers of his generation, has not been on the podium since he left Ferrari to re-join McLaren.
His second spell with the British team has coincided with one of the worst in their long history which has seen them win eight driver and 12 constructors' championships.
Unsurprisingly, McLaren's racing director Eric Boullier admitted Alonso was not very happy after missing the entirety of the morning session on Monday.
"You have been working three months on your physical fitness, in the simulator, on the sponsors' commitments, launch the car, and then you hit the track, something breaks down and you lose the day," Alonso added.
"Time is very important this year with the new regulations, new tyres, not only on the technical side, but on the driving side, too.
"You need to find your limits and your driving style that suits this car and you need to familiarise with the steering wheel, the pit stops and many, many things that are different.
"One day has gone for me, but let's say that it is not a problem. I am lucky enough to have good experience and find the limits very quickly. It has been the same all of my life that I have adapted to the cars quicker than anyone else and I will do that also this year."
Source: PA
