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Alonso shoots down 2015 McLaren-Honda comparisons

Fernando Alonso says McLaren-Honda is in a much stronger position than during its pre-season testing nightmare endured in 2015 and feels the two situations can't be compared.

The two-time F1 world champion openly criticised Honda's failings as McLaren's 'only problem' during pre-season testing after multiple engine issues surfaced at Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona which hampered the team's track time.

When quizzed whether he saw comparisons to McLaren's woes when Honda first returned to F1 as the team's engine supplier, the Spanish driver played down the idea and feels Honda's two years of experience acts as a useful base to work from with its revised engine set-up for 2017.

"I think it's different. In 2015 we weren't prepared at the start of testing, but I think Honda didn't know anything about their own engine at the start of 2015," Alonso said. "Today they have a lot of information from the last two years, so I think they already have the answer to all the problems they've seen and experienced until now with the info they got from the last two years."

Despite Alonso slamming Honda for 'no power and no reliability' during pre-season testing with multiple breakdowns and up to 40kph off the top speed of its rivals the Spanish driver says elements of the Honda power unit are at the performance level he demands but it is being let down 'two or three areas' which he feels 'seem to be in neutral'.

"I believe that we have a good electrical motor - similar or equal to the best - as we can deploy all the way down the straights almost into the braking areas, so we're doing well in that area," he said. "We're doing well in terms of strategy, engine mapping, gear shifting speed - things that in 2015 we weren't able to do.

"There's a lot of base work already done, but there are two or three areas of the engine in which we seem to be in neutral and we need to get on top of those areas so we can get to Australia in a better condition and then work hard to win races this year."

Reports have recently emerged McLaren is set to open initial talks with Mercedes as a engine partner if the partnership with Honda continues to breakdown but both parties are yet to response to the rumours.

Zdroj: crash.net