F1: "No cracks" in McLaren-Honda alliance, insists Boullier

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier has vehemently denied there are cracks in its Formula 1 alliance with power-unit supplier Honda.

In light of Honda's struggles with the 1.6-liter V6 hybrid system on its return to F1, talk of a disintegrating relationship between the two companies has emerged. There have also been suggestions of frustration on McLaren's part, at Honda's slow and rigid working practices, and of the latter's refusal to seek help from overseas influences who have already worked on the engine formula.

McLaren seeks progress from Honda on hybrid technology

There was even talk before the recent Japanese Grand Prix of a crisis meeting involving Boullier, McLaren Group CEO Ron Dennis and Honda executives, but Boullier emphatically denied this.

"There was no crisis meeting," he said. "And as for things deteriorating, that is simply not true to be honest.

"At every level of the McLaren-Honda organisation, in engineering, technically, there is an absolute, one-team cohesion. At management level there is the same, albeit the pressure is higher because we need to deliver. Obviously for both McLaren and Honda we can't stay where we are, we can't cope with this level of performance, but while there is pressure, there are no cracks."

Asked as to Honda's commitment to the cause, Boullier replied: "They have committed to McLaren and Formula 1 for a very, very long time. It's a real long-term commitment, and they have reiterated this many times."

The man most in the firing line has been Honda motorsport boss Yasuhisa Arai (with Boullier, RIGHT), who has faced repeated questions of late about his future, and whether he felt he was up to the task of guiding the project. Arai has made numerous bold predictions about where he saw Honda in comparative terms to its rivals, many of which have fallen considerably short of the mark.

"We are dealing with Arai-san who is responsible for motorsport and for Honda R&D, and as long as we keep talking, listening, and seeing things improving then I think it is all fine," said Boullier.

"Of course, he is under pressure, but then F1 is not easy, especially when you are coming from another culture, and it's very dominated by an Anglo-Saxon culture, so it's not easy to do things differently. But eventually we will get there, and then it's going to be a different world."

Originally on Autosport.com