Now is time for McLarenHonda alliance to deliver

THE Spanish Grand Prix today and the beginning of the European season are traditionally when teams bring major upgrades to their cars. Should McLaren show negligible improvement, it will be a serious warning about what is to come.

The team unveiled a new livery for this race — it’s basically the same, but with less chrome and more red — but lap time is all that counts.

No one is expecting them to win the race or be on the podium, but to demonstrate that this McLaren-Honda partnership is destined for success rather than failure, now is the time to prove it, especially as it is Spaniard Fernando Alonso’s home race.

However, defending world champion Lewis Hamilton is again the one to watch as he seeks to build on his 27 points lead in this year’s title race with another victory for Mercedes.

After three wins in four races, the 30-year-old Briton has built a strong early defence of his crown in near-flawless fashion that has left his rivals trailing and many paddock observers lost in admiration.

His Mercedes team director, three-time champion Niki Lauda, has said he felt the Englishman was driving like a man “from another planet”.

While Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate and championship rival Nico Rosberg bids to match the leader in equal machinery, Alonso will be in forlorn pursuit.

He will just hope for a points finish, while his successor at Ferrari and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel looks for his second victory. — ©