Given how things turned out between McLaren and Honda, you’d think the prospect of the two ever partnering again would be completely out of the question. But the team’s executive director Zak Brown says otherwise.
“We are grateful to Honda,” said Brown in a television interview with Sky Sports (as cited by The Drive). “They’re a great company, with great people, and the relationship was always strong. The relationship still is strong.”
“Wouldn’t rule out racing with them again, wish them the best but we needed to make some tough decisions to do what’s in our best interest.” Seriously? “Oh of course, absolutely,” confirmed Brown.
This after three years of frustrations that saw McLaren saddled by an underperforming and unreliable Honda engine package that’s largely blamed for the team’s poor performance. In fact, these past three seasons have been the worst in McLaren’s history since the late 1970s and early 1980s, before (now ousted chairman) Ron Dennis took over and ushered the team into the second most accomplished in the Formula One record books.
That includes a previous partnership in the late 1980s and early 90s that yielded four consecutive world championships with drivers like Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost behind the wheel. Maybe it’s those glory days to which Brown is looking back. But for now, McLaren’s moving on to Renault power, leaving Honda to work out the kinks with Toro Rosso instead.
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