Overdue for a total refresh at Mclaren

Talks over new powerplant could shine a path for the future of British team

It was very hard to see how Mclaren, the dominant force of so many seasons in F1, was going to claw its way back to the front of the F1 field. After all, it has been a staggering five seasons since the manufacturer managed to win a grand prix. That is a startling statistic in itself.

And it isn’t just the marriage to Honda that has put the anchor on Mclaren’s success. It was beginning to lose his way even when it had Mercedes engines back up until the end of 2014. It had endured a two-year barren spell with the German engine.

The romanticism of a Honda tie-up, with the glorious history that the two companies had shared, was irresistible and the Japanese firm has a reputation for high quality engineering. However, it has been a marriage on the rocks from the very beginning and former glories are nowhere near being repeated. The firms have been growing further and further apart with every engine failure.

Obviously, Mclaren has one of the prized assets in F1, with the signature of Fernando Alonso. He is still one of the best talents on the grid and Mclaren has said that it wants to do everything in its power to keep hold of him, and understandably so. If it can reach a deal with Renault and push Alonso back into the hunt for wins, that is something every F1 fan will be happy about. Matt James, Editor (Twitter: @Mattjmnews)