Engine trouble as Mclaren insist ‘we’d be winning with Mercedes’
● Team boss Boullier takes aim at Honda ● Unhappy Alonso needs competitive car
Mclaren have aimed another swipe at their beleaguered engine supplier Honda by declaring they would be winning in Formula One if they were powered by Mercedes.
The British team’s relationship with Honda is in crisis ahead of the new campaign after a dour eight days of pre-season testing in which they were struck down by a number of reliability issues.
Mclarencompletedtheleast mileage of all F1’s ten teams in Barcelona, while the Honda engine is also down on speed.
Double world champion Fernando Alonso was heavily critical of Honda at last week’s final test, and racing director Eric Boullier has added fuel to the fire with his comments that Mclaren would be fighting at the sharp end of the grid if Mercedes supplied their engines.
Mclaren were powered by Mercedes for nearly two decades but ended their relationship in 2015 to team up with Honda – the Japanese car manufacturer with whom they enjoyed great success in the late 1980s.
“I think we would be winning
0 Eric Boullier: Problems. again,” said Boullier when asked how Mclaren may fare with a Mercedes engine. “The truth is we’re having more problems than we expected. We knew we’d encounter some things, but truly not as many as we’re seeing.
“The only solution is to keep working hard. The problem is the timing. We should be fixing these issues in January, not in March.”
Mclaren, who have won a combined 20 drivers’ and constructors’ championships, have endured a miserable time of it in recent years. They have not won a race since Jenson Button triumphed at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2012 and finished a lowly sixth in last season’s constructors’ championship.
Mclaren are entering their third of a ten-year deal with Honda and, while both sides publicly insist they have no intention to pull the plug, their on-track troubles are significantly harming both brands.
Alonso, who has won 32 races in a career which yielded the last of his two championships more than a decade ago, is out of contract at the end of the season. And the 35-yearold, who staged talks with Mercedes over their recent vacancy following Nico Rosberg’s retirement, has said he would take a decision on his next move after the summer break.
Speaking to Spanish publication AS, Boullier added: “I think Fernando is being honest with us, just as we’re being honest with him.
“He first wanted to see how the new car was and how the new regulations are. He likes the new F1 and he wants to be competitive because he has talent to show the world and to himself.
“We need to be competitive to keep him happy. If we’re competitive he’ll be happy and if not he’ll take his own decisions.” Internationalcricketcouncil chairman Shashank Manohar has offered his resignation.
The 59-year-old Indian set out his intention to stand down in an email to cricket’s governing body, the ICC.
An ICC statement yesterday read: “The ICC board will assess the situation and next steps before making a further announcement.”
Manohar, the two-time former Board of Control for Cricket in India president, was elected unopposed as the ICC’S first independent chairman in May 2016 for a two-year term.
In a transcript of his resignation letter on espncricinfo.com, it is reported Manohar wrote: “I have tried to do my best and have tried to be fair and impartial in deciding matters in the functioning of the board and in matters related to member boards along with the able support of all directors.
“However, for personal reasons it is not possible for me to hold the august office of ICC chairman.” Striker Alan Forsyth will be Scotland’s main weapon as they bid to secure a win over Austria in the quarterfinals of the World League round two in Belfast today, writes Craig Madden.
The former Bromac Kelburne forward, who now plays for Surbiton, is the tournament’s top scorer with four strikes in the three pool matches so far.
The Austrians will be a stiff test for the Scots – they are six places ahead in the world rankings and finished their pool campaign unbeaten with a win and two draws.
The last time the sides met was in the semi-final of the European Nations Trophy in Prague two years ago. Austria won 2-1 but Scotland were the better side and a bad umpiring decision cost them a goal.
Today’s match is crucial as, along with a place in the semi-finals, a spot in round three of the World League is still on offer.