Can McLaren Deliver a 3rd F1 Drivers’ Championship for Fernando Alonso?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: August 7, 2016

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October will mark 10 years since the Brazilian Grand Prix at which Fernando Alonso clinched the second of his back-to-back Formula One titles with Renault. It seems almost silly to write it, but one of the best drivers of his generation has gone a decade without a championship.

After two near-misses at Ferrari, Alonso has spent the last two years wandering in the wilderness at McLaren, another former champion struggling to regain lost glory.

"In terms of driving, how competitive I can be or my third world championship hopes, then you drive for Mercedes or McLaren-Honda," Alonso said recently, per ESPN F1's Laurence Edmondson.

That is an interesting statement considering the team finished ninth out of the 10 teams in the constructors' championship last year and sits seventh this time around, with just nine top-10 finishes in 12 races. McLaren's last podium came in the opening race of the 2014 season, and their last victory was in the final race of 2012, before Lewis Hamilton's departure for Mercedes.



So why is McLaren the right team to carry Alonso back to the pinnacle of the F1 world? And have they shown any improvements over the last year-and-a-half since switching from world-beating Mercedes engines to sputtering, underpowered Hondas that would indicate Alonso is correct?

The answer to the first question has to do with F1's engine situation. Three teams build their own power units, while McLaren are Honda's sole customer. The other seven teams buy their engines from one of the three engine builders: Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault.

In effect, those seven teams are second-class citizens. While the engine suppliers build their cars and engines in tandem and can modify their engines to suit their specific needs, the customers take what the suppliers give them.

That is the main reason McLaren left Mercedes and signed an exclusive deal with Honda—so they, too, coul...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Formula 1

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