Formula One: McLaren ends partnership with Honda, switches to Renault for 2018
By Mark Gero
After having an opportunity to rekindle a successful partnership that has gone sour following three years of bad performances, McLaren decided to part ways with the Honda in favor of Renault for 2018.
It’s official. McLaren and Honda will be parting ways before the 2018 Formula One season. The split itself was bound to happen following Honda’s decision to overhaul this year’s engine that resulted in many MGU failures during the season, mainly for their lead driver, two-time champion Fernando Alonso.
However, the deal to end this partnership was done with a deal that switched things around, which began with Carlos Sainz Jr. being transferred to the Renault factory team for 2018 along with Honda engines now set to be supplied to the Toro Rosso team, which Sainz currently drives for.
In turn, a vacated engine spot has been left on the Faenza team, which had been supplied by Renault power, to find another team to supply, since the rules in the F.I.A. states that three teams can be supplied by the engine manufacturer as a customer. With one position open, McLaren has decided to use the French power plant to replace the Honda engine.
More from Formula One
- Formula 1: Top Red Bull threat identified for 2024
- Formula 1: Why the Max Verstappen retirement obsession?
- Formula 1: Williams ‘mistake’ hints Logan Sargeant’s future
- Formula 1 awaiting key confirmation for 2024 season
- Formula 1: The ‘championship’ Max Verstappen only leads by 3 points
With all this going on, it is still up for grabs whether Alonso will renew his McLaren contract with this substantial change of events since his other alternatives of moving on to the U.S.-based IndyCar Series are beginning to fill up with drivers taking current vacant seats.
The deal with Renault will be a three-year event for McLaren, which will take the engine power plant in Formula One to 2020, which is the final season for the Concorde Agreement for chassis and engines. In addition, McLaren has already confirmed that they will be sending some gearboxes to Toro Rosso to comply with the Honda engines.
Reports have also agreed that there might be a change of drivers as early as the Grand Prix of Malaysia at the end of September, which could switch Sainz in place of current driver Jolyon Palmer, who has yet to score a point this season.
This would certainly boost Renault’s constructor championship points, which could find them close to competing with Williams and Force India for 4th position behind Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. If this takes place, Sainz will have his position taken by Frenchman Pierre Gasly at Toro Rosso for the rest of the season. But so far, these sudden changes of events still have not been confirmed.
Next: Looking at Lewis Hamilton's record 69 poles
Do you think McLaren will have more success in Formula One now that they will use Renault engines instead of Honda engines? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it. Also be sure to follow Beyond the Flag on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.