McLaren is synonymous with racing and will be forever etched into the annals of Formula One. Together with the partner Honda, the pair achieved an era of excellence between 1988 and 1992.
In 2015, this historic partnership has been reforged, but has been underwhelming in every facet of its operation.
The double retirement of both their drivers, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, at the most recent race meeting in Canada has ignited a stinging criticism as to where they stand seven races into this campaign.
“I look like an amateur,” said Alonso, who was forced to save fuel during the 70-lap race, as his thirsty Honda engine struggled again for reliability.
As far as results are concerned, the former double-world champion has had four retirements in the six races that he has participated in, including now three on the trot.
The 2009 world champion Button has been more fortunate with his results, gaining points in Monaco.
Coming into the season, the enormity of the task ahead for the renewed partnership was well understood by the members of each side. The limited testing on top of getting to grips with the complexities of the new hybrid power-units were factors to be taken into consideration when judging their performance only seven races in.
The fact that teams are limited to a total of four units per car also hinders the outfit’s cause to gaining twelve months of mileage and data which the other three manufacturers have accumulated. Button, as witnessed in Canada, was forced to take on a fifth MGU-H and turbo element – which is an automatic penalty within the current regulations.
Nevertheless, there is still positivity from the group. Button, who has now driven in over 100 grands prix for McLaren, saying it’s “unfair to say it’s a bad season”.
While most consider Button’s attitude smacks of desperation, the reality is that in the face of adversity, morale is key and who better to promote that than two veterans of the sport who have amassed 500 races between them?
The cream of Britain’s sporting press is firing away at McLaren, with a symphony of negative headlines having been composed post-Canada by the majors at Fleet Street. Kevin Eason of The Times wrote that the “honeymoon period between Alonso and his ailing McLaren-Honda mob is over”.
It seems that no healthy press at all has stemmed regarding this partnership since its race debut at the Australian Grand Prix – despite the praise a fortnight ago after the maiden points being scored in Monaco.
As Ron Dennis said famously in 1989, “where is the consistency?” in terms of the scrutiny.
AFter the race in Canada, McLaren’s chief operation officer, Jonathan Neale, affirmed that progress has been made.
Having started the season with a five-second deficit to the leading car, Neale told Sky Sports F1, “We have closed a gap of around 2.5 seconds, we’ve got two seconds to go, that is a huge way, but we knew it was going to be a difficult weekend with a circuit like this. But watch us over the next few races, ask us in two or three races time, I think there is a lot to come.”
Neale also defended Honda, saying, “We are committed to our engine partner. We are going to win or lose as a team and I am not about to do what other teams (Red Bull) have done and start tearing apart the relationship between chassis manufacturer and engine manufacturer.”
Considering then from a gap over five seconds, the MP4-30 now stands in loss of just two seconds. The evidence suggests the Honda unit is gaining performance, leaving reliability the core area left for the squad to enhance.
In the end – regardless of the expectation of a powerhouse such as McLaren to be at the front, or the pressure to secure a title sponsor, or to add to their tally of eight constructors’ championships and 12 drivers’ crowns – there are no illusions as to the vastness of the challenge.
Take into consideration the current operating climate of Formula One too, with parties screaming for budget caps which has led to the restrictions on testing, the limitation to only four power-units per season and predefined amount of development tokens for which in Honda’s case is only nine (while the others have 32 for the season) – it isn’t as simple as ‘plug ‘n play’ for a new manufacturer to arrive into the series.
The fickle part of any sport is that there is an instant expectation on a revived alliance for immediate success. It can’t be helped, it is just the way we hapless romantics sometimes envisage things. However as this is a new era for McLaren-Honda, why not focus on the future?
Let the grand legend of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in the red and white McLarens be forever left in the upper echelons of the sport’s history, and prepare to write tales about the forthcoming heroes such as a Kevin Magnussen or Stoffel Vandoorne piloting the next generation of McLaren-Honda.
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