Bullish McLaren

McLaren and Ferrari, two of the most celebrated teams in Formula 1, are not used to fighting for second spot or jostling with back-markers.

But that has been their lot since Kimi Raikkonen's championship win with Ferrari in 2007 and McLaren steered Lewis Hamilton to the title the following year.

They are also more accustomed to battling each other for titles but, in the last seven years, Red Bull and Mercedes have dominated.

Even teams like Force India, Lotus and Toro Rosso have taken points off them.

Not even the hiring top drivers like Fernando Alonso and Raikkonen, overhauling technical and management talent, and revamping high-tech wares have had any significant impact in getting them back to the top.

It has been especially woeful for McLaren, who have had to struggle in the lower half of the grid this season.

In a bid for a quantum leap, the British team rehired Alonso and reconnected with Honda, the engine suppliers who helped them to four drivers' titles between 1988 and 1991.

But talk that the team's woes have strained their relationship with Honda was rubbished by McLaren racing director Eric Boullier.

PARTNERSHIP

Speaking to The New Paper, the Frenchman (above) said their partnership has never been stronger and both have been meeting their targets to get the team back to health.

He added that McLaren went through restructuring last year and, with a new car design, it will take about three years for them to reach optimum performance.

Honda, he said, are also at a disadvantage as they have had only two years to design the new turbo hybrid engines compared to Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari.

Ferrari are the only team to deny Mercedes' complete dominance this year, winning in Malaysia and Hungary with Sebastian Vettel behind the wheel.

"I expect big improvements next year," said Boullier. "We know what is weak in the car and, hopefully, by next year we would have fixed most of it and be more competitive.

"We are just telling everyone at McLaren and Honda to work flat out to make sure we start winning championships. So talk that there is any problem with Honda is speculation by some media because we have a very good relationship with Honda."

Boullier added they have not set any time frame as this would lead to false expectations. But he said they are working to make big strides for next season. He said Alonso knew McLaren would not be fighting for titles so soon when he signed on the dotted line last November to return to the team.

In an interview with the media earlier, the two-time champion said his future lies with the team.

Added the Spaniard: "Things will change a lot next year. We are quite bad for the moment but I like what I am seeing with the work that is being done now, so it is a positive thing."

With McLaren also extending the contract of 2009 world champion Jenson Button for another season, Boullier is also bullish about the team's prospects.

"My mission is make the team better and I am happy with what we have achieved. We've had a lot of challenges at McLaren and most of them have already been solved."

l The writer is a freelancer.

This article was first published on Sept 20, 2015.
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