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After what has felt like years of speculation and rumours, we finally have got the confirmation that McLaren are indeed partnering with Renault. As this happens, the existing partnership of McLaren and Honda will come to an end. This makes it the first time that McLaren and Renault are linking up in Formula 1 in their 40-year history in F1. Honda will partner Toro Rosso as they stay in F1 even after termination of their deal with McLaren. This article focuses on the effects this deal is likely to have on the concerned parties.
McLaren
With diminishing performances, there is no doubt that the brand of McLaren has taken a major hit in the last three years. In 2015, even with two world champions as their drivers, they were only in front of Marussia in the constructor's standings. 2016 saw an improvement but not enough as they were only able to only secure the sixth position. 2017 saw a major overhaul in the Power Unit design from Honda. This was the year in which they were expected to take the big step to be among the front-runners, but they have apparently taken a step backward and now they find themselves just ahead of Sauber with a meagre 11 points.
Ron Dennis claimed that it is not possible to win the championship with a customer engine and that is why the McLaren-Honda deal was done in the first place. At that moment, it seemed like an understandable decision. As it turned out, there were lofty expectations from Honda as you would think but they have massively underachieved on the PU side during this partnership as witnessed recently in the Belgian Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix.
So, to recover the brand value and attract sponsors, McLaren, along with Renault as their engine partners, go hunting for podiums and possibly wins. In the past, they have continuously impressed upon the reporters and media that their chassis is not at fault for their position rather it is the Power Unit which is dragging their car performance down. As they now have a more competitive Power Unit, they will get to show their prowess and whether they can really match Red Bull or even better them with the same engine.
Moreover, they have maximised their chances of retaining the services of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso who has consistently emphasised upon the fact that he doesn't want to compete just for a top-10 position; rather he wants to be a regular feature on the podium. With a driver of the Spaniard's capabilities and skills, they will be able to harness better performances from their 2018 package.
Honda
They started playing on a high-stakes roulette game and the bet went topsy-turvy!
This is what sums up their partnership with McLaren. Partnering with a team like McLaren always means that big things will be expected from you and if you fail to deliver, there is going to be enormous pressure on you. They found out the consequences of this scenario in the worst way possible and all eyes naturally drifted onto them whenever there was PU issue with either of the McLaren cars.
Forging a partnership with Toro Rosso means not only have they not given up on their goal of succeeding in Formula 1 but also they get to work without huge expectations. Toro Rosso have always been more of a 'final test' for Red Bull young drivers and that is why there isn't much that is expected from them, unlike McLaren. This partnership may well be the turnaround for Honda as the environment in their Sakura factory is much more stable and hospitable now that they don't have the burden of insanely high expectations which can turn into better results from the Japanese outfit.
Red Bull and Toro Rosso
Dietrich Mateschitz is the Austrian billionaire who owns two teams in F1, namely Red Bull (from the company he co-founded) and Toro Rosso. From Red Bull, he gets a ton of sponsorships, championship winnings but from Toro Rosso, he doesn't get much more than just a breeding ground for the big boys of Red Bull. This partnership with Honda might be the culmination of the time when Toro Rosso hasn't been a very viable business venture for Mateschitz.
It has been a well-known fact that Honda were funding McLaren in millions and even paying a part of their drivers' salaries. Now that Toro Rosso will have greater access to funds, it signifies a very appealing deal to the Faenza-based team. Moreover, things haven't been all rosy between Red Bull and Renault in the turbo era and if Honda indeed make a remarkable turnaround and figure out a way to improve their PU significantly, Red Bull can switch over to Honda and become a semi-works team, which was the sole intention of McLaren in 2015. This move can potentially result in bringing back Championships to Milton Keynes after their golden run concluded in 2013.
As for Carlos Sainz's move to Renault, they have cunningly sent him on loan for 2018 and expect him to come back in the hunt for 2019. This not only provides the ambitious Spaniard to prove himself in a bigger team as he has been dying to do, but also ensures that when the driver market is open and Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen possibly leave Red Bull, they have a very experienced and talented driver waiting in the wings to fill the big void in the team.
Renault
Renault have scored 34 points in 2017 till now and all 34 have been scored by Nico Hulkenberg. This has left his teammate Jolyon Palmer in a precarious position. In all of this, Palmer is the only one who is actually not winning as he now doesn't have much of a chance to stay in F1.
Renault have consistently been on the lookout for a driver who can complement Hulkenberg and help them develop the car so they can reach the top of the pile as soon as possible. Carlos Sainz ticks all the boxes and provides Renault the driver they always wanted. The 23-year-old can be the catalyst of Renault's resurgence to the top. More than once, it has been reported that he is excellent at giving feedback and that is the thing that Renault expect and need right now.
Formula 1
The FIA has long called for more engine suppliers and that is how Honda entered the fray in 2015. If Honda would have exited Formula 1 completely, that would have sent a very bad message for potential companies like Aston Martin, Porsche, and Cosworth, who have reportedly shown interest in entering F1.
If McLaren-Renault do end up being competitive and challenge the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull, it will provide healthy competition, which is the need of the hour in F1. This is in contrast to years before 2017 when only one team – either Red Bull or Mercedes, at different times – completely dominated the standings and the others barely challenged them. This might bring about a change, which will be beneficial for Formula 1 as it looks to gain more fans and provide more competition and entertainment at the front end of the field.
