Fernando Alonso believes the time is right for McLaren to move on from Honda as the two parties prepare for the final race together after three very difficult seasons at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Problems galore made for an unhappy re-collaboration of what was once Formula 1's most dominant partnership with the current era of hybrid engines proving too troublesome for the Japanese manufacturer to produce the same standard of performance and reliability as their rivals having had over a year less development time before it hit the track for the first time in late 2014.
When the signs of progress were too few this year, in fact getting worse in the first half of the season, that was enough for the British team to finally pull the plug and leave Alonso's initial optimism unfulfilled.
"I think it’s a good time to change," he said on Thursday. "I personally had a lot of expectations for the McLaren-Honda project and that was probably the reason I changed from Ferrari because the McLaren-Honda was very attractive partnership after the success they had in the past.
"We haven’t achieved the results we wanted in the last three years, we didn’t perform as we expect, so now it’s time to change for McLaren and join forces with Renault."
A new engine supplier from 2018 brings fresh optimism that the double F1 champion's second stint with the Woking outfit can enjoy some success and, for the Spaniard, the opportunity to work with the company that helped him to his career highlights.
"I’m quite optimistic seeing what Red Bull is doing now with a Renault power unit," the 36-year-old commented. "Obviously it is still missing a little bit on things, but overall you fight for podiums, fight for race wins and that’s a very different picture to what we have right now in McLaren. I’m optimistic for that.
"The question on Renault, yeah I’m feeling at home a little bit coming back to what I consider my friends and second family. That will be great and they are a very good company and have a very good engine. So zero doubt."
Offering one last reflection on the last three years with Honda though, Alonso admitted the way McLaren and the entire team kept going stood out far more than any one moment on the track.
"It's difficult to pick out one race because obviously the performance was never there," he said. "Even the P5 in Monaco last year was still not as fun as it should be.
"What I do take from the last three years is the commitment and the spirit of the team," he continued. "There was not a single person giving up on the performance we had. That is the lesson I will keep for longer."
