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Niki Lauda has denied that any discussions have taken place between McLaren and Mercedes regarding an engine deal for 2018. McLaren look to be on the verge of splitting from current supplier Honda, after three years of partnership leaves them bottom of the standings.
2015 saw the first year of the revival of McLaren-Honda, but with a slow and unreliable engine, McLaren could only manage ninth in the constructor standings, finishing only ahead of Manor Marussia who failed to bag any points.
2016 saw some progress for the Woking squad as the power unit became much more reliable and there were frequent finishes inside the top 10. Before the 2017 season, Honda announced it was going to overhaul its engine design and try something different. While this season was expected to be the year McLaren returned to the front, they currently sit last in the constructor standings.
Rumours have been gathering that are looking at reuniting with Mercedes who supplied McLaren with engines from 1994 to 2014. Niki Lauda stated: "McLaren has a contract with Honda," he told the German broadcaster Sky.
Lauda acknowledged the rumours of a McLaren-Honda split but added: "That does not mean that a Mercedes engine is coming. No one has asked. There was once the same topic (of a Mercedes deal) with Red Bull, but they stayed with Renault and the thing worked itself out," said Lauda.
Fergal Walsh
Grand Prix of Belgium
C. Sainz jr
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Replies (2)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
And Mercedes will until the deal is either signed or denied. Such is Mercedes' way of making business, a way I can sympathise with.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
I desperately want McLaren to be competitive again, especially while they still have Alonso. McLaren-Mercedes is a good combination, probably the best possible combination. However, I am still hoping for a miracle with Honda, for that engine to come really good some time before the end of the season. Going back to Mercedes would definitely be good, but also an acknowledgement of a catastrophic failure of the Honda partnership.