Photo: McLaren on Facebook
Of the 182 wins and 155 pole positions, McLaren hasn’t racked up any of them with Honda’s hybrid V6 engine. The Renault power unit isn’t stellar either, and even though Ron Dennis doesn’t have anything to do with it, the higher-ups decided that it’s time to get back in cahoots with Mercedes for 2021.
Following the Honda Marlboro McLaren years with Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, the next big moment for the Woking-based outfit was 1995 when Mercedes became the supplier of a 3.0-liter naturally aspirated V10 engine. The McLaren-Mercedes years came to a close at the end of the 2014 season, totaling three world drivers’ titles for Mika Hakkinen (’98, ’99) and Lewis Hamilton (’08).
The second Honda partnership, running from 2015 through 2017, was abysmal at best over the lack of reliability and car’s inherent problems. Not even a top driver like Fernando Alonso could pull off an impressive performance, and even with Renault power since 2018, McLaren still has a lot to improve.
Given these circumstances, Zak Brown and the people in charge of the Formula 1 team took the decision to run Mercedes power units from 2021 “until at least the 2024 season under a long-term agreement.” Mercedes-AMG is the most successful team in the king of motorized sports since the introduction of hybrid regulations in 2014, so this four-year contract doesn’t come as a surprise.
Getting one of the best engines on the grid is one thing, but McLaren also has to make the transmission, chassis (including tires and suspension), and aerodynamics work together with the German power unit. It’s also worthy of note that 2021 is an important milestone in Formula 1, which will see the introduction of “more raceable cars, more competitive grids, cars that make you go wow, and a financially viable championship.” More to the point, look forward to standardized parts, more restrictions, and a few modifications to the technical regulations.
“2021 will be an important milestone for us as we continue our fight back to the front, so it is vital that we have the key elements in place now to enable us to prepare for the new era of the sport,” said Andreas Seidl. Reading between the lines, the team principal of McLaren Racing will commit a few of his most talented engineers to develop the 2021 car with time to spare for last-minute changes if needed.
The second Honda partnership, running from 2015 through 2017, was abysmal at best over the lack of reliability and car’s inherent problems. Not even a top driver like Fernando Alonso could pull off an impressive performance, and even with Renault power since 2018, McLaren still has a lot to improve.
Given these circumstances, Zak Brown and the people in charge of the Formula 1 team took the decision to run Mercedes power units from 2021 “until at least the 2024 season under a long-term agreement.” Mercedes-AMG is the most successful team in the king of motorized sports since the introduction of hybrid regulations in 2014, so this four-year contract doesn’t come as a surprise.
Getting one of the best engines on the grid is one thing, but McLaren also has to make the transmission, chassis (including tires and suspension), and aerodynamics work together with the German power unit. It’s also worthy of note that 2021 is an important milestone in Formula 1, which will see the introduction of “more raceable cars, more competitive grids, cars that make you go wow, and a financially viable championship.” More to the point, look forward to standardized parts, more restrictions, and a few modifications to the technical regulations.
“2021 will be an important milestone for us as we continue our fight back to the front, so it is vital that we have the key elements in place now to enable us to prepare for the new era of the sport,” said Andreas Seidl. Reading between the lines, the team principal of McLaren Racing will commit a few of his most talented engineers to develop the 2021 car with time to spare for last-minute changes if needed.
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