Mercedes was ready to power McLaren

Between 1995 and 2014, McLaren et Mercedes have experienced a long period of collaboration, notably marked by the Constructeurs title in 1998 and the coronations of Mika Häkkinen (1998, 1999) and Lewis Hamilton (2008)

A fruitful association that McLaren decided to end at the end of 2014, the first year of the V6 turbo/hybrid era, to return to the side of Honda, its engine manufacturer in the 80s and 90s, with the Ayrton Senna duo – Alain Prost including.

A choice which did not allow Woking to return to success over the last three years, before the separation of the Anglo-Japanese tandem at the end of 2017. And if Zak Brown's men will benefit from an engine Renault from 2018, the scenario could have been significantly different as stated Toto wolff, boss of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport.

« We wanted to power McLaren, the problem was that it had been dragging on for a long time and we just didn't have the structure in place and the capacity to provide them with an engine for 2018., admits the Austrian on ESPN. It was simply too late. »

If the contract between McLaren and Renault runs for the next three years, Wolff does not rule out a new association in the future. “You cannot rule out motorizing a team. And that is why McLaren or any other team can be a partner in the future. »