23/05/2016
NEWS STORY
McLaren boss Ron Dennis is convinced that his team will rule F1 once Mercedes reign ends.
On the back of the team's worst season in living memory, 1980 to be exact, things are looking to be only marginally better this season.
After five races the team is eighth in the standings, ahead of Renault, Sauber and Manor, but shows little sign of challenging the likes of Williams, far less Mercedes, any time soon.
Admittedly, much of the problem, as in 2015, lies with Honda, the Japanese manufacturer making infuriatingly slow progress, while many believe the Woking team has become distracted.
Indeed, Ron Dennis' dream of becoming the 'new Ferrari', in terms of being a racing car manufacturer that also produces exciting sports cars for the road, looks to be going from strength to strength, McLaren Automotive understood to be investing £1bn over the next six years in R&D as it launches a number of new cars and increasing production from 2,000 a year to 5,000.
However, like Enzo Ferrari, Dennis' heart remains on the race track, and the Briton is convinced that despite the current situation his team finds itself in the winning ways will return.
"The 2017 regulations level the playing field," he told BBC Radio 5 Live, "and it is enough time for us to catch up with Honda, so I think we'll have a good chance next year.
"I think we can win races," he continued. "I don't want to predict world championships but I do feel that dethroning Mercedes is going to be a challenge for everybody and I have reason to genuinely believe we'll get there before anybody else."
Dennis, who has enjoyed a difficult relationship with Fernando Alonso, also believes the Spaniard is still the best driver on the grid.
"It is frustrating not to be able to put him in the best engine-car combination," admitted the Briton. "I like his maturity at the moment; he knows what's possible. He is very complimentary of the car at the moment, but that's because it's good."
With Honda still unsure when it will introduce its next upgrade, having admitted to aiming to introduce them tactically, it remains to be seen whether the team can move much further up the grid before the rule changes in 2017.