Success for McLaren and Honda won’t come instantly, despite what the two companies are promising, says former-McLaren driver John Watson.
McLaren-Honda have a successful history together, one that saw them win a record-breaking number of races in a single season and eight titles between 1988 and 1992, but that doesn’t guarantee success the second time round.
“I feel it’s going to take a little bit of time for that whole package to blend, and for McLaren to come back to the level in Formula 1 that they used to enjoy,” Watson told GPUpdate.net.
“It’s a lot more difficult than it was back in the day when they were dominant, largely because the restriction on testing is very hurtful to many teams.
“[For] a team that’s trying to make its way back to the front of the grid, and dominate in [Group CEO] Ron Dennis’ own words, it’s not going to be an easy route.”
The 68-year-old believes it could be as many as five years before they can assert themselves as a dominant force once again.
“I think what they’ve got, at minimum, is a two-year programme to get back to any level of consistent winning, and maybe three years for domination.”
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