While McLaren takes the covers off its new MP4-31, which the Woking outfit hopes will help it begin the process of moving the team substantially up the grid, McLaren Technology Group CEO Ron Dennis will not be drawn into making any hard predictions.
One could argue that McLaren's state of affairs could not get any worse than its dismal 2015 campaign, and that therefore the team's fortunes can only improve, but Dennis prefers to remain elusive when it comes to supplying a time frame for when McLaren will return to the winners' circle.
"As we embark on the second year of our renewed McLaren-Honda partnership, all of us remain united in our purpose. That purpose is to develop our team towards our shared ambition: to win.
"We’ll make no predictions as to when those wins will come, but I can say without fear of contradiction that every member of our team has worked with truly relentless dedication over the past few months. The result is that MP4-31’s developmental trajectory has been usefully steepened over the winter, and I’m consequently very proud of our team’s efforts."
The McLaren boss also stressed how the team's underlying dedication remained intact, along with its belief in the technical assets provided by its partner Honda.
"We remain resolute in our commitment to our goals, and we maintain an indefatigable commitment to the winning potential of a full works team. Believe me: the full works backing of a multinational automotive manufacturer is the only platform from which real success in modern Formula 1 can be achieved.
"As McLaren-Honda, therefore, we’ve vowed to work together, and to win together, and that determination has become further cemented as our relationship has deepened through the shared challenges we faced last year.
“We have the best driver line-up in the sport. We have an engineering team that has been meticulously hand-picked, restructured, guided and inspired; the blend of technical skill-sets and attitudinal mind-sets we now possess are fit-for-purpose and state-of-the-art.
"And, thanks to the relationships we’ve nurtured with a hugely impressive roster of loyal and powerful partners, our commercial position is equally robust.”
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