2017 Mclaren F1 Team - Honda

[Jacinto]

Nothing we havent debated before, but hey! The more the merrier no?

http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/ ... orce-honda

"humiliating loss of prestige"

In my opinion, that happened before Honda joined.

Mclaren decline goes way back to 2007. Spygate started the chain of events that brought Mclaren to where it is today.

Until 2007, Mclaren was Mercedes "works team", and had been so for more than a decade. I believe that Mercedes was a Mclaren´s shareholder.

After that scandal, Mercedes set to establish his own team, buying Brawn GP and renaming it "Mercedes AMG Petronas"; Mclaren become just another customer and started the path to midfield trailing his former nemesis, Williams.

Honda was Mclaren´s last chance to return to greatness under current engine rules. Now, it´s clear that Mclaren decided to be midfielder, at least until 2021.

[Manoah2u]

I'm still saddened the most by how much this has cost Alonso dear costly years that he'll never get back, especially after the already disappointing stint with Ferrari.
Really, it's just saddening beyond words.

[RS200E]

"humiliating loss of prestige"

In my opinion, that happened before Honda joined.

I suspect a hint of bias.

Don't feed the Honda fanboys. =D>

Ah I know I shouldn't but can't help it sometimes. They just trolling this thread now. I wonder if there is an ignore function on this site.

[GoranF1]

I'm still saddened the most by how much this has cost Alonso dear costly years that he'll never get back, especially after the already disappointing stint with Ferrari.
Really, it's just saddening beyond words.

His time will come, it was ment to be that he wins whit Renault power.

[ZakB]

I'm still saddened the most by how much this has cost Alonso dear costly years that he'll never get back, especially after the already disappointing stint with Ferrari.
Really, it's just saddening beyond words.

Ferrari was a bit disappointing, but it wasn't even close to the last three years.

[Chuckjr]

I'll say this...if Fred can haul the McLaren into possible title win simply on his ability (if it's still there in 2018), he would achieve god like status for drivers all time. Certainly it's a long shot, but it similarly reminds me of Hamiltons pushing Red Bull when he had a car that by no means should have been challenging Red Bull for poles. I remember Hamilton literally jumping out of the car when he would take a pole totally based on his driving ability...the elation and team spirit during that time I haven't seen since. Those opportunities rarely occur in F1 anymore, but I really see 2018 as a year Fred will have such an opportunity.

I'm confident the McLaren engineers can build a car to challenge Red Bull. Alonso may be able to pull another 6 tenths above that, and that could be the difference. We'll see. He certainly has nothing to lose, which is always an advantage over having a car expected to win--just ask Lewis...

[Stormy]

McLaren are in quite a conundrum. Yes, they may fight for third place in the constructors next year, but so can RB and why not Renault as well? Having said that, they may end up fourth or fifth. This is obviously a short term decision that will have to be fixed come 2021. The only scenario putting them back as title contenders is if Merc decides to pull the plug, sell the team and come back with them as exclusive partners. Which is possible.

[Andres125sx]

Do you really think McLaren F1 Team will make that crucial decision based on the opinion of one of his drivers???

If that driver is also key to many sponsors, absolutely.

McLaren seems to be going a long way in an attempt to keep their star driver happy... Indy500 for example?

Keeping your star driver happy and provide him with team principal status are too different things Phil

[Andres125sx]

I do not know what kind of promise they made to Alonso.
Fortunately Honda will be in a better team, away from these problems.

"Alonso: In 2018 my fans will see me winning races."

http://soymotor.com/noticias/alonso-mis ... 018-939412

Even if you´re a hardcore Honda fan, you shouldn´t lie to yourself... STR a better team than McLaren?

[mclaren111]

I'm still saddened the most by how much this has cost Alonso dear costly years that he'll never get back, especially after the already disappointing stint with Ferrari.
Really, it's just saddening beyond words.

Agree with you but he is not the first driver this has happened to, nor will he be the last.

Life is a bitch sometimes

[Manoah2u]

I assume this means Alonso will not participate in F1 next year. There's no way Mclaren - Renault is going to be a secure winning team. I might be thoroughly mistaken though.
It would mean Renault must have some godlike engine nextyear and Mclaren's chassis must be indeed beyond anything out there.

They'll have to fight Mercedes, Ferrari and RedBull to be able to win races - plural.

[Manoah2u]

I'm still saddened the most by how much this has cost Alonso dear costly years that he'll never get back, especially after the already disappointing stint with Ferrari.
Really, it's just saddening beyond words.

Agree with you but he is not the first driver this has happened to, nor will he be the last.

Life is a bitch sometimes

I know but Fernando is a class apart.
He beat Schumacher fair and square. Not in a massively better car or something like that.
Hamilton is hailed as a great but he was right there.
Just barely missed the WDC against Vettel in a vastly more competitive RedBull
It's just such a waste of potential.

And yes these 3 Mclaren years are worse, but they're amplified by Ferrari's non-success.
Had he had success with Ferrari, this would have been sad, but not as excessively.

It's even gotten to a point that his career is being hurt by it.

[mclaren111]

Agree. It is sad

[hemichromis]

If you gave alonso 8 points over 3 years he would be 5 time WDC.

[marvin78]

Why is Ferraris non-success not an Alonso non-success? If you let the BS of Alonso doing miracles aside, he had a very good car in 2 Ferrari seaons which clearly was able to win the WC. I can't see that Alonso was not part of losing those possible titles. He was part of the team wasn't he? Was he part of the team, when he won titles? He clearly was.

I know, every fan thinks, that his driver is by far the best and so on...I'm not a fan of anyone but is it really sad, if someone get's up to 40 Mio for his job? For whom is that really sad? Why do you feel for a guy, you don't even know?

I think that Alonso is an outstanding driver, by the way. But in history you can find tons of drivers who where just that and did not even take part in F1. Are you really sad for them all? That's sad for you.