Mclaren Honda heading for a divorce for 2018

Renault is in a difficult situation

They want their team to win podiums but if they give the PU to Mac it makes it more difficult.

And, it divides up their resources unless TR switches to Honda. So, its more complicated that Mac dropping Honda. And Renault is in the catbird seat when it comes to the deal.

Where else is McLaren going to go?

 

If Honda fixes the engine and RB ends up with it Zak Brown will look like the biggest idiot in F1 history.

 

Awesome-everything the McL/Honda partnership was supposed to be but wasn't....

 

There's a very good possibility of that happening

 

To me it seems like everyone is playing politics

McLaren wants out but Honda does not want to go to another team.

The FIA wants Honda to be in Toro Rosso but Toro Rosso isn't particularly interested

Renault wants McLaren to survive but doesn't want to supply an additional team.

Alonso wants to stay at McLaren but doesn't want a Honda engine in his car.


It's like a bad soap opera.

 

Fixed it for you

 

Not yet wrapped up, it seems....

McLaren's renewed Renault engine chase | Motor Sport Magazine

Rgds

 

Meh... he'll still have the 3rd best engine in the back of his car. You really think McLaren can win with a Renault engine? RB sure can't.

I'd like to remind you that the Renault engine is only slightly more reliable than the Honda....

 

RB has won what, 7 races over the last 4 seasons with that engine? They've proven you can win with it. Not every race, but in each of the last 4 seasons they've won at least 1 race, except for 2015 when they had a couple of 2nd places and they completely threw away monaco by not having his tires ready at his pit stop. So yeah, RB has won with it.

Mclaren would sure love to have an engine capable of 7(+) wins over the last 4 seasons....

 

Right now he has the 4th best engine in the back of his car. Not only that, this 4th place engine has gone backwards in performance this year vs last. Honda, far from being the engine tech gods, have proven to be, well, a bit rubbish. Crystal ball gazing in F1 is a dubious game, and 'presuming' that Honda will somehow leapfrog Renault when they have failed to do this for 3 straight years is showing blind faith beyond reason.

Remember, the Renault PU is capable of victory, and Renault have the same opportunity to develop their engine that Honda have. In fact better, as they at least have an engine which they understand and which is a platform from which to develop. Honda can't even establish a remotely reliable baseline.

 

:::yes it is..and as always Alonso is right in the midle of that ****!!!

 

FIA should give Honda and McLaren additional testing time during off season IMO
They've paid the price of many poor seasons and it doesn't help F1 to see them suck

 

Why? They've had 3 years to sort this out... The other manufacturers will rightly demand the same privilege.

 

Rightly demand That's hilarious - It' suppose to help a team in trouble and
under F1 rules most all the teams would probably have to agree as such.
But I did state IMO

 

I agree with you, but in F1 common sense rarely prevails over self interest...

As it is, the engine rules get ripped up in 2 years. I doubt Honda could justify the huge dollars required to come up with another totally new F1 PU concept to replace the current one which itself is a clean sheet design from their first generation effort. So - either they can engineer the current engine to be a race winner (very unlikely on current evidence) or they park stay at the back of the pack and start fresh for 2020. (Or, pull the plug on F1 altogether).

I think Honda are in a world of pain that goes well beyond the relationship with McLaren. I'm amazed they haven't already decided to pull out.

 

Yes a pull out does look highly likely and it will be the second time they ran away if it does happens

 

It's the Japanese mentality, to fall on their sword if things go badly, I would rather they turned a corner and were at least competitive, but it doesn't seem to have gotten any closer to working in three years, in fact, they may even have slipped further back from where they were at the start of the year

 

If Honda pulls out of F1 then what?

Renault have said they dont't have the capacity to supply a fourth team.

The deadline for triggering the forcing of another team to supply another 4th team has passed, but i guess in the interest of the sport they can get around this.

So could Mclaren get Merc power in 2018?i assume MB have the capacity .but would they really want to do that ?

I think Mclaren will be stuck with Honda next year,then Alonso can decide if he wants to stay or not.

The whole thing is down to $$$$$ as usual in F1.

 

Honda will be in F1. Everything I've read indicates that STR switching to Honda is the critical point. And McLaren would supply STR with a gearbox for the Honda engine. And that Renault are also negotiating for Sainz's early release from his RB contract for the factory team seat. There are a lot of moving pieces but it would seem that Honda will be there next year either with McLaren or STR.

 

It brings to mind Mercedes secret test of awhile back, there were no negative repercussions.

 

Honda have had 3 years of testing at every GP in that time. Their PU problems are not going to get fixed by a bit of ECU mapping or some minor cooling tweaks at a test day. They have fundamental engineering issues to fix.

 

Exactly

 

Thanks for the update

 

They surely are in a mess