Boullier keen to avoid ‘sh*t-fighting’ with Honda

McLaren-Honda racing director Eric Boullier claims the renewed alliance is keen to avoid the sort of “sh*t-fighting in the media” that Red Bull and Renault have been prone to doing after their own difficult start to the season.

The rekindled Woking-Sakura partnership has also experienced a very challenging 2015 campaign so far, with last weekends’ Canadian Grand Prix turning into a new nadir.

Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button’s double DNF capped a dismal Montreal event that saw both world champions’ progresses hampered by a litany of reliability issues. While Boullier admits part of the current woes is out of McLaren’s hands, the Frenchman insists it would be pointless to point fingers in the press.

“It hard [not to blame],” he said. “It is a management exercise. We don't want to end up like Red Bull and Renault, sh*t-fighting in the media.

“There is no sense. There is a proper reason why we moved to Honda, and we are happy with the move, even if it is frustrating now.”

Boullier further explains that McLaren’s leniency towards its partner also comes from its understanding of the massive challenge that represents last year’s introduction of new hybrid power units.

“To be fair with Honda, they decided to join Formula One two years ago. And it’s not easy to be here and win.

“It is painful, and maybe embarrassing, but it is F1, the technology is huge. It is very complex for anyone who wants to enter F1 today to do well straightaway.”

Click here for the best quotes from last weekend's Canadian Grand Prix

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Julien Billiotte

Recent Posts

Verstappen puts Bathurst 1000 Supercar event on bucket list

Max Verstappen’s racing curiosity has never been confined to Formula 1 – and now, one…

2 hours ago

Vowles warns 2026 weight limit will catch F1 teams out

When F1’s radically redesigned 2026 cars finally roll out in Barcelona at the end of…

16 hours ago

Why Verstappen isn’t expecting much running at F1’s first test

Max Verstappen has never been one to sugar-coat reality – and as Formula 1 braces…

18 hours ago

Revolut’s CMO slams Ferrari: ‘How can you put blue on a red car?’

Ferrari have survived decades of criticism about strategy calls, driver politics and pit stops that…

19 hours ago

Mercedes 2026 advantage in doubt after concerning claim

While the paddock has been whispering for months that Mercedes might be holding the winning…

21 hours ago

Our salute on this day to Big Dan

Dan Gurney passed away on this day in 2018, and here at F1i we'll never…

22 hours ago