by H. Mayor – photo: f1.com | Despite currently at the lowest echelons of the championship and the furthest they could be from the cheers and laurels of the leaders, they are constantly hitting the Formula 1 headlines this year. The nightmare that McLaren and Honda have got into hand in hand is current news and something we have not really seen before.

The legendary British team has sunk to the bottom of the championship table (dragging down the twice champion Fernando Alonso) with a car that has zero reliability and a ghastly competitive level. The rumours which at the beginning of the season speculated with a reckless mid-season engine change are becoming a plausible reality. But it wouldn’t be easy. There are contractual obligations which, in the face of all available options, really limit the British scuderia’s room for manoeuvre.

“Whoever says F1 doesn’t speak to everybody and explores all available options is lying” Jonathan Neale, McLaren’s Director of Operations explained recently. In other words, they have already delved into all damage control strategies to cushion their vertiginous fall and minimise the tremendous embarrassment.   

Tight Margin

The margin for manoeuvre is tight. The first option explored was that of acquiring a Mercedes engine but the German constructor has already declined their request to be their provider for the rest of the season. It also seems clear now that Ferrari, their favourite option, is going to say no too.

The third available avenue to explore would be that of Renault. Even if initially this could not translate into a significant competitive improvement in the short term it would at least offer much better reliability than the current Honda. The issue here is the contract that binds the British team to Honda up until the year 2021 and the lack of scenarios where it would be feasible to break it. “There is a contract between us and the premise of the talks with them is to continue,” – Masashi Yamamoto, Honda’s racing manager told the online portal Sportiva – “We exclude the possibility that McLaren will even temporarily use the power unit of another manufacturer.”

McLaren would face a tortuous road ahead if it decided to attempt an engine change this year, not only because all the problems that this might entail, but also for the more than likely ensuing fight with Honda in court. The possibility of a friendly agreement at the end of the season is much more likely. The Japanese manufacturer’s image has suffered considerably this year and their best option might be to continue in F1 next season with new engines and a new partnership with another scuderia (such as Toro Rosso).

The current partnership

The most diplomatic option would be to remain partners and to trust Honda to finally develop a high quality, competitive and reliable machine. It is a choice between that hope (which is fuelled by real expectations) or to continue free falling down the cliff. The option that remains most remote is still that of changing engines this year. Everything points to having to wait until the end of the season.