McLaren will win the championship before any of Mercedes' other rivals manage to do so, according to team chairman Ron Dennis.
Whilst McLaren have struggled recently, often languishing at the back of the grid, they have begun to climb the order with their first Q3 appearance last weekend and a firm belief they will be third quickest in Monaco, but wins and even podiums seem a distant goal.
Dennis however believes McLaren will be the team that eventually steals the crown from Mercedes.
"I honestly believe that the next world champions after Mercedes will be McLaren," Dennis told the BBC. "We'll get to that goal before other people.
"It is challenging but I have a firm belief in the technical competence of our people and a firm belief in Honda."
Honda are set to introduce a completely redesigned engine in 2017, made possible by the scrapping of the token system, and new technical regulations will once again level the playing field, which Dennis reckons will see them winning races at least next year.
"The 2017 regulations level the playing field and it is enough time for us to catch up with Honda, so I think we'll have a good chance next year," he added. "I think we can win races.
"I don't want to predict world championships but I do feel that dethroning Mercedes-Benz is going to be a challenge for everybody and I have reason to genuinely believe we'll get there before anybody else."
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