McLaren insist 2014 will not be a year of transition as they move from Mercedes power to Honda in 2015.
Team principal Martin Whitmarsh says there is no reason they can’t fight for wins and the championship next year, despite struggling this season.
He told the official Formula 1 website that much of their effort this season has been concentrated on the ’14 car – a decision they took much earlier than their rivals.
“The rules for next year are so different that we had no choice than to commit to next year,” he said. “If we would have worked on this year’s car very hard we would potentially suffer for next year’s car.
“We’ve been off the pace a second and a half during the season, which means that we were six months behind – so we took the development effort back in Woking and focused on next year.”
The MP4-29 will use Mercedes new turbo-charged V6 engine for a single season before McLaren switches to Honda. Whitmarsh doesn’t believe that will have a negative impact on their preparations, but admitted it wasn’t the ideal scenario.
“I hope not,” he said. “I believe that Mercedes is doing a very good job, so there is no reason why we can’t win the championship next year.
“I cannot say that it’s an ideal situation, but I don’t want to make excuses either. No excuses. We should be able to win. Sure, it’s a bit of a compromise – but nothing is ideal in life.
“Our future is secure with the seven-year partnership with Honda, so we are fighters and racers and we will go out there and do a good job. No more years like this one!”
