Motorsport Week has been taking a look at the key talking points for the second half of the season, which begins in Belgium next week, and now moves on to the future of McLaren, Honda, and Fernando Alonso…
McLaren and Honda’s relationship has been tested in 2017 as its quietly optimistic pre-Barcelona mood was punctured within days. Honda’s revised power unit severely underperformed early on, leading to a string of sub-par showings and reliability dramas, prompting an understandably frustrated Fernando Alonso to declare that the RA617H had “no power, no reliability” and was 30km/h down on its rivals.
McLaren failed to challenge for points and engine penalties were applied as early as Russia, due to the allocation of power unit components being exceeded.
McLaren pondered extricating itself from the relationship as it criticised Honda on a regular basis and sounded out rivals, but Mercedes – its desired partner – remained uninterested, repeatedly declaring that it was unwilling to interfere in any potential divorce proceedings.
Honda accepts it is half a season behind where it hoped to be, but progress has been delivered with the introduction of its Spec 3 power unit. The Spec 3 unit was trialled during practice in Azerbaijan and run by Stoffel Vandoorne in Austria and then by both drivers in Britain. It did not deliver a giant leap forwards – that was never the ambition – but it was an encouraging step, moving McLaren-Honda back towards respectability. Honda expects further gains to follow across the remainder of 2017.
McLaren wants to resolve its engine situation by September, a decision which is also likely to influence the future of Fernando Alonso.
Alonso, now 36, most likely has one last contract in him in Formula 1 and he is still operating at an exceptionally high level, as demonstrated by his exploits in the MCL32 and during his stunning Indianapolis 500 effort.
Alonso has reiterated that he will analyse his options in September or October; the main theme is that a third world title is his primary ambition, and that he enjoys the atmosphere at McLaren.
For both team and driver, the developments across the past few months could be concluded with the mantra that not only is the grass greener on the other side, but that its options, in reality, are limited.
McLaren has little choice but to stick with an improving Honda. The worst period, in which Honda grappled with its revised power unit, is now history, and it is realistic to expect Honda to continue to chip away at its rivals. Whether Honda will ever emerge as a world-beater remains unknown, but for McLaren its options are thin on the ground. Mercedes and Ferrari are a no-go, leaving only Renault, which would hardly be a propulsive step in the right direction, for McLaren would be behind Renault and Red Bull within the French manufacturer’s pecking order. Renault, too, would be wary of the extra demands of supplying another team. The barrage of criticism of Honda by McLaren has also slowed in recent weeks…
Similarly, Alonso’s best chance rests with McLaren. Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull are not interested. The remaining teams, Renault aside, lack the infrastructure and financial might to break free from the midfield under Formula 1’s current regulations. And, as with McLaren and its engine predicament, Alonso may eye Renault with a 'grass is greener' stance…
However, on both accounts, it depends if team and driver are willing to remain patient, believe that the light at the end of the tunnel really exists, or if time has run out. McLaren, and Alonso, remain extremely popular parties, and success for both is long overdue. It would be the realisation of years of slog if they can triumph; on the flip side, if McLaren/Honda and/or McLaren/Alonso divorce, what will be the next step?
Also of intrigue will be the next route for McLaren’s rising star Lando Norris. The Briton, only 17, has increased his role within the Woking operation this year through his startling ability and maturity, and his outing at the post-race test in Hungary was exceptional. McLaren has a star on its hands, and wherever he competes in 2018 will surely bring him to the brink of Formula 1 contention.
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