Honda - Mclaren writing on the wall
These is so much talk about Mclaren and Honda potentially parting ways. We could say the Honda engine is not winning races in 2017 as many Mclaren fans had hoped the plan at the beginning of the partnership had promised. The main unavoidably noticeable problem of the Honda power unit is its unreliability and that it is still down on power relative to the Mercedes and Ferrari that have made further progress, mainly driven by the stiff competition between these two giants.
What has been obvious on some occasions is that the 2017 Honda power unit has not been run at its full potential due to its reliability issues. So it is difficult to say how competitive the unit is. One thing is obvious, there is mounting external pressure on the partnership from media and other parties interested in Honda's engine business in F1. Let's not forget Alonso that simply does not have the luxury of time.
As a Mclaren fan, what l am seeing is mostly prejudice driven bias against Honda. Renault is facing a similar pinch on the Redbull front but not quite as much as the Honda situation which seem more fragile than the Renault situation. Making a championship winning engine is not a piece of cake. It takes time to get it right. We can venture to say, Mclaren may not be able [is unlikely] to beat Mercedes with a Mercedes engine. That would simply not be acceptable to Mercedes. The other point is that, it is crazy to say Honda is incapable of producing an F1 championship winning engine. They probably need more time than their partner can afford. That said, it would be great opportunity for Sauber to become a works team in 2018. and may reap the benefits of Mclarens hard work with Honda over the last three or so years.
It may be possible that Sauber and Wehlein may be championship contenders in 2018 or 2019, if Honda sorts out the gremlin on the current spec of the power unit and make the requisite step forward as a result by 2018 or 2019. The Honda power unit has made it into Q3 on a number of occasions this season and have had a number of top ten race finishes. You may say Alonso had a lot to do with it or the Mclaren chassis was mostly the reason, but one can also say he did it with a Honda engine ahead of Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault powered cars. Which suggest that the real progress of that power unit is not being properly appreciated.
I don't think there are many realistic alternative options available to Mclaren without taking an equivalent level of risk besides sticking with their partnership; although with a stiff upper lip and letting Honda work through the problems and challenges, but deliver the goods in a reasonable timeframe. An emotional decision to run to Mercedes or start a new project with another engine provider without recent hybrid experience is no guarantee that Mclaren would work its way back to the front of the grid. What is reasonably clear is that Honda power unit has made alot of progress forward from the back of the grid into the thick of the midfields. A good guess is that the Honda power unit has not been run at full wack yet due to its poor reliability and design fragility. I think there is potentially more time in that engine and it would be daft for Mclaren to dump their partnership at this juncture. Ron Denis' instinct may be right but needs time to mature.
That said, one has to draw the line somewhere. Is now such a time to draw the line?
That said, Redbull are faced with the same dilemma. Renault needs time to get the engine where it needs to be.
Well, just one rambling man's thought on the matter.
