Defiant Brown says McLaren remains committed to Honda

McLaren boss Zak Brown reiterated the team's allegiance to Honda, denying the partners were on the verge of a major crisis.

Following a week of issues with the Japanese manufacturer's power unit which has limited mileage and development of McLaren's new  MCL32, the relationship appeared to be heading for a turn of the worse following comments made by Fernando Alonso yesterday after the day's running.

The Spanish driver derided Honda, underlining the engine's under performance and poor reliability, saying he expected an 'incredible and immediate reaction' from McLaren.

But Brown insists McLaren remains supportive of Honda's efforts.

"We have a long-term contract," said the McLaren executive director to Sky Sports David Croft..

"We have won a lot of championships with them, they have the right people, we have the right people, so we are going to work through it together."

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McLaren's contract with Honda is understood to have a duration of ten years, expiring in 2024. Brown is adamant that McLaren will honor its deal, while he was given no indication that Honda could walk away.

"They've given no indication of that," he said.

"There has been no talk of anything other than getting to the front of the grid. We have problems, clearly we have problems...but 'crisis' is a bit strong."

"Melbourne is going to be tough," Brown admitted.

"I'll be surprised if we are where we need to be or where we want to be by Melbourne so it will be a tough start to the year.

"But we've been given assurances that they will do everything they can to give us the best possible power unit.

"We know what the issues are and we know how to address them. We are seeing improvements every day and that's what is most important. They're on it."

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