McLaren F1 teammates Fernando Alonso and Stefan Vandoorne enjoy an ‘ Unexpected Race ‘ around team sponsor Chandon’s vineyards. Expect comments about Honda’s engine…
The thought of either Fernando Alonso or his McLaren Formula 1 teammate Stoffel Vandoorne challenging for any kind of victory in the upcoming future is, of course, preposterous. The team’s woes with the ‘new and improved’ Honda V6 blighted McLaren’s pre-season testing program, performance that had barely improved during the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, with Alonso’s MCL32 grinding to a halt in the closing stages with a badly damaged floor, and Vandoorne’s sister entry bringing up the rear in 13th, two laps down, thanks to a lack of power. Hardly surprising that speculation is already mounting concerning Alonso’s plans for the rest of the year.
Still, we doubt either the two-time World Champion or the former GP2 champion will have been going easy on their ‘ Unexpected Race ‘ with radio controlled F1 single seaters around the Chandon vineyards as part of a promotional exercise for McLaren’s primary sponsor. The video opens with both Alonso and Vandoorne in racing simulators before switching to the VR Virtual Reality headsets for the finale, in which both cars interrupt a couple’s intimate dinner. And if this sounds a bit familiar, you may remember Alonso and then-teammate Jenson Button took part in a similar ‘Friendly Race’ last year (below).
Ridiculous? Absolutely, but you’ve still got to love the charming pointless-ness of it all. And given that this is probably the only time in 2017 that Alonso or Vandoorne will get to spray the bubbly, can we really deny them their moment on miniature victory road…?
