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Can McLaren finish their rollercoaster F1 turbo-hybrid era on a high in 2020?
From a Honda engine which seemed to fail every time it went out on the circuit, to a Renault powered car which last year helped the team climb on the podium for the first time since the Australian Grand Prix in 2014. It was a long old journey back to the podium in the turbo-hybrid era, but can they finish the final season on a high?
Honda
It was dubbed as the dream partnership at the time, but for whatever reason it just never took off. Fernando Alonso came out with a few harsh, but true, comments over the team radio. In their three years together, McLaren scored just 133 combined points. That total was surpassed in 2019 alone.
Renault
In 2018, McLaren moved to Renault. Alonso's results started to improve and the Woking-based team seemed to be competitive again. But after Monaco, it wasn't to be and things started to slide again. Fast-forward another year and with a driver line-up in Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, the McLaren was fast again. The Papaya-Orange car was the best of the rest.
McLaren
Ahead of the rules and regulation shake-up in 2021, Zak Brown has struck a deal to place a Mercedes engine in the back of the McLaren once again. But before that, McLaren have one last blast in their current era of engines. After a rollercoaster ride, can they come out on top?
Securing best of the rest means they'll have a target on their backs. Particularly from Renault who slipped backwards last season. But without any rule changes, without any tyre changes and without any driver line-up changes, McLaren's package can surely only get better. Consistency is often the key, and they've had that during the winter break.
If there's rain or crashes in the top six, you can fully expect McLaren to be picking up the pieces.
