McLaren Ditches Honda For Renault Power

Will Alonso Say 'Oui' To New Deal?


Article heading image for McLaren Ditches Honda For Renault Power

It's a done deal.

Or so say reports that McLaren is going to divorce Honda after a difficult three year marriage.

The breakdown in relations is symbolic of the notorious Honda powerplants which have broken down too many times to count over the years.

With a superstar driver Fernando Alonso losing all faith in the Japanese engine maker and coming off contract, McLaren appear to have decided enough's enough.

The saviour?

Renault.

A three year agreement's been reached to run the French power plants from 2018 that will see McLaren run something basically identical to the unit that powers the factory Renault team and Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull.

But Honda aren't left without a home in Formula 1.

Toro Rosso will plug them in next season, handing their Renault supply to McLaren.

Still with us?

Good.

Because there's more.

Promising Spanish driver Carlos Sainz will reportedly move from Toro Rosso to the Renault team in a sweetener to end the engine contract early.

The upside for McLaren is they get to be more competitive with the much more reliable French engines and have a far better chance of keeping a gun driver in Alonso.

 

 

 

Sean Maynard

10 December 2018

Article by:

Sean Maynard




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