Fernando Alonso plays down early podiums in 2016

Fernando Alonso has admitted that the podium is too high a target for McLaren-Honda early in 2016.

However, as he spoke in Baku as an ambassador for the inaugural grand prix in Azerbaijan later this year, the Spaniard suggested that he has high hopes for rapid improvement after the team’s disastrous 2015.

“I will be more optimistic when I come back here in June,” he said. “I think in the beginning it will be difficult to be on the podium.

“But the championship is very long and if we develop the car quickly enough then yes, I think that podiums are possible.”

He is confident that Honda has made the right moves over the winter, changing “the whole concept of the power unit”.

“At the same time it is necessary to strike a balance between speed and reliability – you first need to get to the finish,” he said.

The 2016 calendar begins with the Australian Grand Prix on March 20.