McLaren to keep the faith with Honda

McLaren isn't looking to split with engine providers Honda despite a desperately disappointing first year to their new partnership.

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier told CNN's The Circuit that there was no question of McLaren seeking an alternative engine supplier for 2016 and that as far as he was concerned Honda was the only viable option available to McLaren in the battle to get on an even footing with Mercedes and Ferrari.

"If you want to beat Mercedes you have to be a works team. We believe that Honda is the only serious engine manufacturer who can allow us to achieve that.

"We have a works team status. We have to go through some pain currently but we will be champions again with Honda one day," he insisted.

"It is up to us to put the right pressure on Honda.

"There were high hopes at the beginning of the season about renewing this historic partnership between Honda and McLaren, [but] in the last 20 years Formula One has changed a lot.

"It's very challenging for everyone to get on top of this new technology and deliver a performing package," he explained. "The engine is very immature in terms of technology

"Honda only decided to join Formula One two years ago and they are competing against an engine manufacturer who is very experienced and has spent more time developing these engines."

Despite the disastrous 2015 season which sees the team currently in ninth place in the constructors championship with just 17 points compared to 451 for Mercedes and 270 for Ferrari, Boullier said that the team was in good spirits looking to the future.

"We are in a smooth transition now between this and next year's car.

"The atmosphere in the team is good. The correlation from design and manufacture to the track in terms of bringing performance is very, very good. The people in the team are committed.

"The things you can't see behind the scenes is that the team has changed drastically in the last 15 months."

Boullier also confirmed that the team intended to retain Jenson Button as team mate to Fernando Alonso in 2016 despite strong challenges to the seat from test and development drivers Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne.

"Fernando is a yes and we do intend to keep Jenson," Boullier told CNN. "We have a deadline if we want to activate options. There are discussions ongoing and we will see."

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