“McToroHonault” is the word being bounced around in the Formula 1 World at the moment, with one of the biggest driver and engine shuffles taking place in recent times.
What does it involve? Who are the stakeholders? Read on, young grasshoppers, and we’ll fill you in with everything that’s been going on.
First of all, and arguably most importantly, McLaren has finally taken Honda out back to shoot it. Eagle-eyed F1 fans would immediately point out that this leaves McLaren without a donkey in the back to push the wheels round and round. Thankfully, Barney Rubble and Fred Flintstone won’t be needed for McLaren next year, as Renault have offered to put McLaren out of their misery by supplying the British team with an engine that is at least one step up from the rather dismal Honda powerplant.
Where to for Honda? Well, it’s no mystery that Red Bull-Renault have been looking for a new engine supplier since the dawn of the turbo V6 era in 2014. The Renault engine still pales in comparison to the dominant Mercedes powerhouse – rumoured to be around 50 horsepower meatier than the Renault. In what some would describe as a brave move, Red Bull has begun the steps to rescind their contract with Renault, and try move forward with Honda. The first step that Red Bull has taken with regards to this is to throw their “lab rat” team, Toro Rosso, in the deep end with the “mindblowing” (Ron Dennis: 2014) Honda engine for 2018.
The next step would be for the main team to take on the Honda engines for the year after: 2019. Most would agree that this would rule Red Bull out of contention for 2019, but others would say that they’re always going to be doomed to second or third place if they continue with Renault in the current formula. It’s ironic that Red Bull is going down the same road as McLaren, especially taking into account how bad it turned out for the Woking outfit. So look forward to another 3 years of Mercedes domination after 2017 ends. Yay!
What else does this mean?
The deal means that Carlos Sainz will go to Renault from Toro Rosso, with Jolyon Palmer being booted out of the team for the frankly far superior Spaniard. Pierre Gasly will take over the vacant Toro Rosso seat.
Exciting times lie ahead for F1! Well, if you pretend the Mercedes doesn’t exist. Or if you enjoy monotony.