McLaren-Honda - The return of bizarreness?

There can be many versions of this McLaren-Honda deal, but for sure though, McLaren needs to ramp up its game. They don’t have enough time to experiment in a way similar to their current season. It’s been a long time since they have won a constructor championship, or even a drivers championship. A ‘Top Team’ doesn’t just bring good names to its team or be in controversial situations, they also need to win races, and most importantly, championships. For that to happen, McLaren shouldn’t be experimenting too much like now.

“I know exactly how passionate Honda is about motorsport, and Formula One in particular. I grew up watching McLaren-Honda Formula One cars racing and winning around the world – they wrote their own glorious chapter of Formula One history. Even now, picturing those unmistakable red-and-white cars evokes vivid memories of some of the most dramatic and exciting motor racing the world has ever seen. McLaren-Honda: I know how much passion, success and pride are encapsulated within just those two words. That’s why I’m so thrilled and excited about what’s not only a fantastic opportunity for the team, but also a great development for Formula One fans and the sport as a whole.” – Jenson Button

Of the current breed of drivers, Jenson Button is one name who has a long association with Honda. For a good stint, he was part of BAR, then Honda, and then Brawn. We are unsure of the contracts between McLaren and Button, but our guess is that Button should spend some quality time with the team even after the deal with Honda commences. If Honda were to cast the same spell, similar to one they cast during the Prost/Senna era, Button should be the man for Honda. He would be the ideal Samurai, and would normally thrive on the situations like these. But if Perez manages to stick around, it would be a different story altogether.

Has Perez managed to prove himself?

Too early to make a judgement.

Isn’t it?

McLaren drivers are known to be aggressive. Perez found the McLaren motto, and is trying to show his aggressive side in the last three races. Some of his moves are controversial; he hasn’t been able to please his teammate, leave alone others on the grid.

We still aren’t convinced by the decision to hire Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez, when McLaren had the services of Paul di Resta, and Nico Hulkenberg. Paul and Nico would have done wonders to the team, and have shown in plenty of circumstances their aggressive side. Although we still believe Paul di Resta is overrated by a notch, it doesn’t take away his genuine talent. The decision to hire Checo always had its effect on the finances, which are also critical to the team’s long run. Maybe the team had prior knowledge about the exit of Vodafone or took into account of the performance of MP4-28 based on its wind tunnel performances, which would have influenced their decision to go with Checo.

Maybe McLaren wanted a driver who was easy on tyres? Or maybe, McLaren wanted to genuinely develop a driver in the long run?