Honda - another disaster ?

[VolvoT5]

Crafty_ said:

So, assuming that Alonso does really want the triple crown he's got a choice to make - get out of McLaren and go to Renault and get a better car and hope the investment that Renault is making starts to pay off or stay with Honda, stomach whatever comes and still have the chance to do Indy and other stuff.

I still think doing the 500 had more to do with Zak Brown doing his marketing thing than him really wanting to do it, but who knows.

But Renault have already admitted they don't expect to produce a winning car for at least 2 years.... http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/10890034/re...

[DanielSan]

I can't see how going to Renault would benefit him getting the triple crown? He'd be better off actually staying with McLaren but have a 2 race break where he does Indy and Le Mans.

[Crafty_]

VolvoT5 said:

Crafty_ said:

So, assuming that Alonso does really want the triple crown he's got a choice to make - get out of McLaren and go to Renault and get a better car and hope the investment that Renault is making starts to pay off or stay with Honda, stomach whatever comes and still have the chance to do Indy and other stuff.

I still think doing the 500 had more to do with Zak Brown doing his marketing thing than him really wanting to do it, but who knows.

But Renault have already admitted they don't expect to produce a winning car for at least 2 years.... http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/10890034/re...

McLaren won't have a winning car in 2 years either. Its all about the relationship - if it remains good he stays, if its got to the point it did at Ferrari he goes.

Doing other stuff has a bearing on that.

[MartG]

Crafty_ said:

McLaren won't have a winning car in 2 years either. Its all about the relationship - if it remains good he stays, if its got to the point it did at Ferrari he goes.

Doing other stuff has a bearing on that.

One sure way to keep him would be for McLaren Honda to start an LMP1 programme

[Gary C]

DanielSan said:

I can't see how going to Renault would benefit him getting the triple crown? He'd be better off actually staying with McLaren but have a 2 race break where he does Indy and Le Mans.

I think He meant going to Renault would not give him the chance whereas staying at McLaren might.

[Trabi601]

MartG said:

One sure way to keep him would be for McLaren Honda to start an LMP1 programme

I think it may be best for them to concentrate on sorting out the clusterfk they've made of F1 first!

LPM1 is every bit as complex as F1, so it's not like it's a nice little side project for them.

[MissChief]

I wonder if Liberty will think more about not having scheduling conflicts with the 500 and Le Mans given all the publicity Alonso has generated for Indycar and for F1?

[Crafty_]

MissChief said:

I wonder if Liberty will think more about not having scheduling conflicts with the 500 and Le Mans given all the publicity Alonso has generated for Indycar and for F1?

http://www.fia.com/news/fia-meets-championship-promoters-create-greater-calendar-harmonisation

Its been an issue since LeMans started clashing.

Festival of Speed is deliberate put on a non GP weekend, no doubt to the benefit of the festival but was recognised by Bernie as being important I believe.

[anonymous-user]

Crafty_ said:

http://www.fia.com/news/fia-meets-championship-pro...

Its been an issue since LeMans started clashing.

Festival of Speed is deliberate put on a non GP weekend, no doubt to the benefit of the festival but was recognised by Bernie as being important I believe.

Lord March sets the date after he knows what the F1 calendar is, it had nothing to do with Bernie.

[swisstoni]

jsf said:

Crafty_ said:

http://www.fia.com/news/fia-meets-championship-pro...

Its been an issue since LeMans started clashing.

Festival of Speed is deliberate put on a non GP weekend, no doubt to the benefit of the festival but was recognised by Bernie as being important I believe.

Lord March sets the date after he knows what the F1 calendar is, it had nothing to do with Bernie.

March tries to arrange it so that F1 teams can turn up on their w/e off.

[CraigyMc]

Trabi601 said:

MartG said:

One sure way to keep him would be for McLaren Honda to start an LMP1 programme

I think it may be best for them to concentrate on sorting out the clusterfk they've made of F1 first!

LPM1 is every bit as complex as F1, so it's not like it's a nice little side project for them.

Porsche (and until recently, Audi) spend >$200m per season on LMP1-H. That's upper mid pack F1 money, and Audi had been doing it for years.

The best way for McLaren to put Alonso into a winning LMP1 drive would be to pay him into a Porsche seat.

[MissChief]

CraigyMc said:

Trabi601 said:

MartG said:

One sure way to keep him would be for McLaren Honda to start an LMP1 programme

I think it may be best for them to concentrate on sorting out the clusterfk they've made of F1 first!

LPM1 is every bit as complex as F1, so it's not like it's a nice little side project for them.

Porsche (and until recently, Audi) spend >$200m per season on LMP1-H. That's upper mid pack F1 money, and Audi had been doing it for years.

The best way for McLaren to put Alonso into a winning LMP1 drive would be to pay him into a Porsche seat.

I could, however, see a McLaren GTE program. I'd love to see Button, Alonso and Stoffel in a 720S at La Sarthe. The issue with an LMP1 program is that if it's a manufacturer backed one then they MUST go Hybrid. And development of that won't come cheaply and could take money away from the F1 program.

[CraigyMc]

MissChief said:

CraigyMc said:

Trabi601 said:

MartG said:

One sure way to keep him would be for McLaren Honda to start an LMP1 programme

I think it may be best for them to concentrate on sorting out the clusterfk they've made of F1 first!

LPM1 is every bit as complex as F1, so it's not like it's a nice little side project for them.

Porsche (and until recently, Audi) spend >$200m per season on LMP1-H. That's upper mid pack F1 money, and Audi had been doing it for years.

The best way for McLaren to put Alonso into a winning LMP1 drive would be to pay him into a Porsche seat.

I could, however, see a McLaren GTE program. I'd love to see Button, Alonso and Stoffel in a 720S at La Sarthe. The issue with an LMP1 program is that if it's a manufacturer backed one then they MUST go Hybrid. And development of that won't come cheaply and could take money away from the F1 program.

That'd be frikkin awesome.

JB will make someone a very happy endurance team owner one day, if he chooses to go that route.

How lovely would an N24 entry be? I mean, there's no way financially it makes any sense, but it'd be smashing. They still have the outright N24 lap record from the 12C program (Kevin Estre - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajN5fVVOLOw ).

It's entirely possible that McLaren will be swallowed by a Chinese company before they get that far. Geely bought Lotus...

[FourWheelDrift]

A GT class win means nothing compared to winning Le Mans overall in terms of the triple crown, he won't do a GT class. It's LMP1 or not at all.

[CraigyMc]

FourWheelDrift said:

It's LMP1 or not at all.

Perhaps a Honda LMP1H PU to sort out the problems they've been having in F1?

The Porsche V4+ERS-H isn't conceptually a million miles away from current F1 norms except that as well as a normal turbo turbine, it has an additional "H" turbine running to its own motor (in F1 these are combined and the same part).

[thegreenhell]

What are the chances of Honda being able to make an engine that can last for a whole 24 hours?

[MartG]

thegreenhell said:

What are the chances of Honda being able to make an engine that can last for a whole 24 hours?

No problem - the issue being that it will only produce 150bhp

[Crafty_]

LMP1 is fast getting in to unsustainable territory money wise, hence a field of 2 teams...

FIA and promoters are well aware of this and are trying to figure out how to set regulations to reduce cost, allowing privateer teams and maybe encourage manufacturers to join. Maybe Honda could be persuaded to get involved as an engine manufacturer with the car being built and run by a private team ?

The nuclear option is they leave F1 having failed to create a decent engine. Not going to happen soon, but if they don't like the look of things in 2020 (when we're due some regulation changes) they could walk.

[Doink]

The clearest indication yet that McLaren might ditch Honda, finally someone has come out and told it as it is without pulling any punches......

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-motor-f1-mclaren...

[AndStilliRise]

Writing is on the wall I am afraid.