Engine failure for Paffett

The McLaren Mercedes Team continued their Monza test today. On the programme: tyre testing of the Michelin compounds for the Italian Grand Prix next week, alongside assessment of the Monza wing packages. Gary Paffett's engine failed around 16:30 this afternoon which ended his day prematurely.

“Monza is the only circuit that we test on so close to the actual race and as a result the programme this week has been very much focused on the Italian Grand Prix. The track has been resurfaced since we were last here so we have been concentrating particularly on tyre evaluation with our Partner Michelin. Alongside this we have been working on the race set-up of both cars with Pedro and Gary, who have both been working on the aerodynamic package for this race. Gary's engine was at the end of its lifecycle and as a result failed this afternoon. However the mechanics did a fantastic job of changing it in a very short period of time, so that he could go back out towards the end of the session. We have achieved some positive results with both Gary and Pedro, and we go into the race next weekend with a greater understanding of what to expect from the circuit."