The McLaren Formula 1 team is poised to end its "bedevilled relationship with Honda" by agreeing to a deal for Renault to supply its engines from next season, according to Oliver Brown of the London TELEGRAPH. After "another gut-wrenching race for the team," with Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne both receiving grid penalties but failing to reach the chequered flag, "the bonds with Honda are now ruptured beyond repair." Honda Head of Motorsport Mashashi Yamamato flew in from Japan this weekend "for crisis talks," but McLaren's dialogue with Renault is "already well-advanced." Should an agreement be finalized next week, Alonso would, according to McLaren Exec Dir Zak Brown, be "very likely" to stay. It will be "hugely expensive for McLaren to break ties with Honda that were supposed to last 10 years, but the situation has become untenable." McLaren Racing Dir Eric Boullier "made no attempt to tone down his displeasure." He said, "The talent of our drivers shone, and we held on to hope that we would be able to achieve a positive result against the odds, but once again we were left dejected and dissatisfied. For the whole team, it's utterly frustrating" (TELEGRAPH, 9/3). AUTOWEEK's Sam Hall reported Brown expects to make an announcement on the team's '18 power unit supplier next week. Brown said, "We're going to make a decision within the week or ultimately we'll get into a situation where we technically create some problems with our chassis. What we can't have is that we solve our power issue and then show up with a chassis that isn't adequate, so we have to make a decision next week." When talking about the pair of retirements at Monza -- an MGU-K failure for Vandoorne and a gearbox issue for Alonso -- Brown "vented his frustrations at Honda, holding very little back in his criticism." He said, "(It was) not very exciting but that was predictable. Being at the back of the grid, we knew that we weren't going to power through the field like the Red Bulls did, so it was disappointing" (AUTOWEEK, 9/3).
NOT ENOUGH: MOTORSPORT's Lawrence Barretto reported Honda is "fearful it cannot do enough" to convince McLaren to continue its F1 partnership but the company "will not stop trying." If McLaren decides it cannot continue with its current engine partner, and Toro Rosso elects to stay put with Renault, Honda "would be forced out of F1." Despite the uncertainty, Honda has been "pushing ahead with an aggressive development plan that yielded upgrades at Spa and Monza." Honda F1 CEO Yusuke Hasegawa said, "I'm still trying to make good performance to convince them [McLaren] but I'm not sure it will be enough. We Honda never give up to keep this collaboration." While the situation "could have become a distraction" for Honda's staff at Sakura and Milton Keynes, Hasegawa believes it is having the "opposite effect." He said, "It accelerating our development. It becomes motivational inside the factory" (MOTORSPORT, 9/4).
POTENTIAL SOLUTION: In London, Jack de Menezes reported F1 execs are "attempting to put a plan in place that will keep Honda on the grid" even if McLaren axes the Japanese engine supplier for Renault. FIA President Jean Todt met with F1 CEO Chase Carey and Yamamoto at Monza to discuss a plan to keep Honda in the sport, "with one potential solution appearing to be a switch to the Toro Rosso outfit." Renault has made it clear that it will only work with McLaren if it drops its supply to Toro Rosso, with Renault Sport Managing Dir Cyril Abiteboul confirming the company cannot go beyond its three-team supply "due to current concerns over reliability." F1 Managing Dir, Commercial Operations Sean Bratches said, "We don't want to lose Honda. Honda is a long and valued partner of F1. We're trying to do everything we can to encourage the respective parties to keep them in the sport and grow because we think there's a huge opportunity going forward for everyone involved in F1" (INDEPENDENT, 9/4). REUTERS' Alan Baldwin reported the talk in the paddock at Monza was of a deal, "likely to be sealed in the next two weeks before the Singapore Grand Prix," for Honda to switch to Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso and Renault to replace it at McLaren. A source said "that seemed to be the direction all parties were heading in, with benefits for all concerned." McLaren would get an engine that has triumphed this season in the back of a Red Bull and F1 "would see Honda stay in the sport." Toro Rosso "would gain a significant financial contribution" to its budget and an engine that "could, when competitive, also be used by Red Bull" (REUTERS, 9/3).
