A crucial month lies ahead for the new McLaren-Honda collaboration. That is the obvious view from the outside, after the innovative MP4-30 struggled for pace and laps not only at Jerez, but also reportedly early this week at Barcelona, as the British-Japanese outfit conducted private 'filming days' with the troubled 2015 car.
The Woking based team's former long-time manager Jo Ramirez acknowledged that it may take some time for McLaren-Honda to replicate the kind of success it so famously achieved in the 80s.
"Compared to today," the Mexican told Brazil's Globo, "the F1 of my time was primitive. Then, the Japanese were quick to find solutions. Now, to solve problems, as far as I understand it involves bringing together a large group of engineers, both from Honda and the team. There is no way to have solutions quickly," Ramirez added. "Everything depends on everything else."
However, he insisted that McLaren-Honda will eventually get it right. But the fact that even experienced insiders have to merely guess is a frustration to Peter Windsor, a former Williams team manager and veteran journalist.
He told Finland's Turun Sanomat: "I was expecting it would be difficult for a new engine supplier. But it is frustrating when they do not seem to be able to solve their problems quickly. It would be much more interesting if Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button were able to be competitive right from the beginning."
Windsor said his frustration might be lessened if there was a better public understanding about the ultra-complex technology now deployed in F1. "F1 loses a lot," he explained, "by not having the public know more about this technology. It would be fascinating to be able to get closer to what Honda is going through. Because now, if Honda suddenly gets it right, we will have no idea how they were able to do that," said Windsor. (GMM)
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