Mclaren Honda heading for a divorce for 2018

GT draws in Europe but that's about it. McLaren wants to be on the world stage.

McLaren can get out of this. Their problem is they seem to care more about their relationship with Alonso than Honda. IMO, that's their biggest mistake.

The Honda deal can work eventually. Alonso-- I'm not so sure.

Zak Brown is a problem. He needs to go. They have been all over the map and the negative PR stuff has hurt them terribly. The Japanese do not like to work with someone that constantly makes them "lose face". I don't think Brown understands them at all or knows how to motivate them properly. Given his salary is indirectly coming from Honda, they must be pretty insulted at his "frankness" in the press.

 

McLaren Honda: divorcing since 2015.

 

If Honda quit F1 McLaren will be in a world of hurt. I don't think they have resources to make a competitive engine in their own.
But I think the FIA will step in and force Engine makers to supply other teams

 

LOL!

Today's news is "Alonso urges McLaren to make a quick decision on Honda future"

F1 News - F1 British GP: Alonso urges McLaren to quickly decide Honda future

I think he said that on July 18th, 2015 also.

 

McLaren should have divorced Honda after the first year.
They have been "beating about the bush" for far too long and no come with a clear decision.
It's always "wait a little more, they will come good", or "we have made some progress" blah, blah, blah... That's no way to lead a team.

Honda should have been sacked and provision for an alternative engine made immediately.
Even accepting a Mercedes or Renault engine with previous years' specification would have been better than dragging along the hopeless underpowered rice burner. McLaren should have swallowed its pride, bit the bullet and gone cap in hand to ask for a supply of engine from Mercedes or Renault. No less.

I don't care if Honda will eventually work, they have been taking the p*** of their associate and never delivered the goods.

So don't tell us that Zak Brown is the problem: Honda is the problem. As a customer, you can understand why the McLaren CEO is less than complementary about Honda pitiful performance. This is no time for more PR, or more idiotic diplomacy; only a very humiliating break up will do. Beside, Zak Brown has only been there recently, well after the rot had set in the partnership.

 

That's when the cracks started to appear but they were ignored.

 

When you're sucking Milk from Momma's teets, its difficult to give it up to stick your nose in the weeds for sustenance.

 

That's what the rules say.

But one way or the other, McLaren will never be in the winning circle during this formula - 2015-2020 - and is completely wasting its time, money and reputation by staying in F1.

Ranked last, well bellow teams like Sauber, Haas, Toro Rosso, McLaren if loosing money hand over fist by maintaining what used to be a first class team, with exemplary installations.

Maybe things will change when a new formula starts in 2021, and McLaren may have secured by then a reliable partner, but each year at the bottom of the grid make that hope less realistic.

Also, I am sorry to say that I don't believe Zak Brown is the ideal candidate to redress McLaren and take it out of this quagmire.

 

Absolutely, it's difficult, but that choice has to be made, even if it hurts!

 

Honda bowing out would instantly solve their problems. The rules compel the engine suppliers to provide supply if there is a team without one. How the FIA determines who would be forced to, I'm not sure. Maybe the one with the fewest customers.

Jost Capito would've probably been ideal, and even more so with his VW ties. But board thought he was too loyal to RD.

 

That's exactly what the rules say.

 

To be honest, Brown or Capito, how do you expect people who have absolutely no experience in F1 to come at McLaren and manage its recovery?
I say it cannot be done.

 

If that's the case. Renualt supplies 3 itself, RB, and TR. Mercedes supplies about 3 also, itself, FI, and Willams. Ferrari supplies, itself, and Haas. Sauber is going to be a question mark if they still going to receive Honda engines. So if we go by what you said it's Ferrari that is force to. . . .

 

Ferrari of course Sauber-Ferrari with 2016 engines. 2018 it's when Sauber gets Honda's though websites are reporting that Honda cancels that, but we have no actual proof they did not from Honda so until then Honda will be supplying Sauber in 2018.

 

The supplying to Mclaren is about who's going to supply them in 2018 I am talking 2018 of suppliers and unless they shift or change. Ferrari will be supplying the lowest number of teams that year hence so many speculating that Ferrari would supply if FIA go by who supplies the lowest amount of the grid.

 

I actually think eventually Honda will end up making a pretty good engine, probably on par with Renault.

To me McLaren (and Zak Brown) should tell Alonso to put up or shut up and start to support his partner for the next 7 years instead of Alonso popping off every week telling the press what McLaren should do.

If he doesn't like there, quit. Then find a new team.

McLaren has a deal. One driver upset with performance shouldn't stop them. Brown is more interested in keeping Alonso than he is in keeping Honda.

IMO, that's bass ackwards.

 

The only reasons they are holding onto Alonso are:

He is a very good driver

His salary is paid by Honda.

So if Honda pull out then his salary will drop dramatically,or more likely off to Indy/Wec where his salary would also fall off a cliff.

 

Why? It's worked out sooooooooooooooo well for them!

 

It's almost mind-boggling that they only now decided that their mono-cylinder test dyno was not the best process... even back in the February tests when their "new concept" engines didn't last two laps, they mentioned that the promise of their new cylinder design on the mono-cylinder engine rig didn't work yet as a 6 cylinder... so 5 months later, they admit "yeah, that's still not working well, maybe we should stop relying on it"??!!??

I've said before, I don't believe Honda has the engineering capability and know-how any more to build a competitive F1 engine. No amount of testing will get their engine to catch up, they need to swallow their pride, buy/build an engine development facility in England, and poach the best engineers they can from Mercedes and Ferrari... and a lead engine designer who isn't from within Honda, who can manage the project without the overhead and burden of Honda's current management practices.

 

Or, they can quit.