Formula One: McLaren confident for 2018 with Renault engine data

After several years of disappointment, McLaren are confident for the 2018 Formula One season as a result of the Renault engine data.

McLaren are set to make the switch from Honda engines to Renault engines in the 2018 Formula One season, as Scuderia Toro Rosso are set to use Honda engines as opposed to Renault engines. McLaren’s past three seasons with Honda engines have been not only a struggle but a complete disaster.

In the 2015 season, their two drivers finished in 16th and 17th place in the drivers standings and the team finished in 9th in the constructors standings. In the 2016 season, their two drivers finished in 10th and 15th in the drivers standings and the team finished in 6th in the constructors standings.

Last season, their two drivers finished in 15th and 16th place in the drivers standings and the team finished in 9th in the constructors standings. None of their drivers have finished higher than 5th place in any race in any of the last three seasons.

After three seasons of struggling mightily with Honda engines, how will McLaren perform in 2018? Seeing as how the lack of power and reliability in the Honda engines have been the key issues that have plagued them as opposed to their aerodynamic setup, they may be in for a solid recovery season.

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Renault engines have proven to be far more powerful and reliable than Honda engines in Formula One in recent years, and given the fact that McLaren’s aerodynamic setup really isn’t all that bad, they could have a successful 2018 season.

McLaren are set to return their two drivers from the 2017 season, with those two drivers being 36-year-old Fernando Alonso, a two-time Formula One champion, and 25-year-old Stoffel Vandoorne. The lack of changes to their lineup should also bode well for them heading into the 2018 season.

While it would be a stretch to think McLaren can claim their first constructors championship since the 1998 Formula One season and have one of their drivers win the drivers championship for the first time since the 2008 season this year, the 2018 season should still be a big improvement from recent seasons for the team.

Here is what Alonso had to say about the confidence at McLaren heading into the 2018 season, according to ESPN.

"“We are very confident. I think at McLaren we have made a few changes for this year, the most obvious being the power unit with the Renault, which I think is quite a high motivation now in the team.“The mood for all of us is quite different this year compared to the last three years. We always had expectations that the season could be a good one for us. But I think this year we have more facts than any previous years, that they were only hopes. This year we have more numbers that we can touch, finally.“We would like to be on the podiums. We’d like to be fighting for race wins if the opportunity arrives and I think the team now is ready. After three years of struggling, three years of hard learning, you are more prepared.“I think if you have three or one domination year, one time you’re not that competitive or you don’t have that advantage, you are not able to deliver. I think the struggle that we had in the last three years made the team very strong and completely ready for a fight.”"

Here is what McLaren executive director Zak Brown had to say about the confidence at McLaren heading into the 2018 season, according to ESPN.

"“Everything is going really well on car design. We have the engine in the back, we have just passed our crash tests and that all went according to plan. We will launch the car on February 23 and we will be on track for the first time in February 26.“All the simulation we are doing is where we want to be over last year. Sometimes it works in simulation and doesn’t work when it hits the race track, but it did [work] more often than not last year, so I think we’re going to be in for a strong season.”"

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How will McLaren drivers Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne perform in the 2018 Formula One season? Will we see the team provide them with cars that are more competitive than the cars that the team’s drivers have been provided with in recent years? Tune in to the season opener, the Australian Grand Prix, on Sunday, March 25th.

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