Alonso pushes McLaren to make decision over engine

Fernando Alonso has urged McLaren to hurry its decision on which engine manufacturer they will run with in 2018. The McLaren-Honda partnership has been left in tatters this year, with another retirement coming at Silverstone for Spaniard Alonso, his sixth of the year. 

The 36-year-old has been vocally against the Honda unit, which has failed in its third year in the sport. McLaren is rumoured to be reuniting with old partners Mercedes after growing tired of the uncompetitiveness of Honda. Alonso has sounded out that a decision needs to be made soon.

"It's a team decision," he said at Silverstone, "but definitely the sooner a decision is made the better prepared you are for next year. So I imagine they will try to make a decision soon, which I will obviously support," Alonso added.

The future of Alonso is uncertain, with many speculating that he will leave the sport if McLaren decides to remain with Honda. When asked how the engine decision will affect his future, he said: "It's hard to guess because there are many combinations of cars and engines. But we have clearly identified what we lack, so if we can improve that, we can be competitive."

Fergal Walsh