Ron Dennis says Fernando Alonso will be a central figure in leading McLaren back to domination of F1 with Honda.
McLaren's renewed partnership with Honda has faced a difficult beginning, with the power unit proving uncompetitive and unreliable in the early races. However, following clear signs of progress, Dennis is certain the team will return to winning ways in the near future and says Alonso will be able to enjoy success with McLaren to finish his career.
"People tend to talk a lot of nonsense about the McLaren-Alonso relationship," Dennis told the official Formula One website. "Okay, 2007 was a stressful year, even though we won eight races and scored more world championship points than any other team that season. But that’s ancient history now. We’ve all moved on - and by ‘we’ I mean McLaren, Ferrari and indeed the FIA.
"And the Fernando we’re working with today, now, is a fantastically motivated and inspirational man. He’s as quick as ever, as competitive as ever, more experienced than ever, more expert than ever, and he combines those traits with an infectious energy and enthusiasm. Ask anyone in our team - mechanics, engineers, marketing people, PR people, cooks, waiters, cleaners, whomever you like - and they’ll all say the same.
"We’ll win again, we’ll dominate again, and we’ll do that together, with Fernando front and central. It’ll be a wonderful culmination to his glittering career, and all at McLaren and all at Honda are utterly dedicated to the task of working with him, with Jenson [Button] and with everyone else, to help him achieve it."
Dennis also says there is no chance of Alonso leaving McLaren due to poor performance, saying the double world champion is tied in for the next three years.
"He has a straight three-year contract with us, with no options. It’s as simple as that. That’s what we wanted to offer him, and that’s what he wanted to sign. I can’t make it plainer than that, can I?"
Click here for a look at the radical Honda power unit design
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