Fernando Alonso says his infamous “GP2 engine” radio message was wrong but vindicated by Honda’s performance at the time.
The Spaniard made the comment as he fell down the field during the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix in the first year of the manufacturer’s return to Formula 1 with McLaren.
But while in retrospect Alonso does regret the outburst, he also defended it by suggesting it was not made in a public setting.
“It came from a place of frustration and maybe I should not say that, but I didn’t say it in the TV pen or the press conference,” he said to F1 Racing magazine.
“I was talking to my engineer in a private conversation [which was broadcast]. It was not meant to be public.
“But the engine was very bad. The first year in Jerez, in four days we did seven laps.”
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Indeed, having been drawn back to McLaren by the prospect of the team rekindling their once-dominant partnership with Honda from the days of Ayrton Senna, Alonso claims his comments were quite restrained given the situation they faced.
“If a top driver today goes through the performance that I went through, I could not imagine what they would say,” he explained.
“In 2015 I was always fighting to get out of Q1 and had 575 places of penalties. I say things that I think and I believe because I believe those things are the truth.
“Sometimes I can be wrong but I don’t see things that I do that others are not doing. I don’t read extra things from what others are saying, but I see mountains and mountains of the things I say.”
After two more disastrous years, McLaren and Honda finally parted ways at the end of 2017.
Since then, however, the Japanese supplier has made huge gains working with both Red Bull teams, including scoring three wins with Max Verstappen last season.
But while Alonso is made all too aware of the success Honda enjoy, he insists it doesn’t bother him.
“Now Honda wins a race and I receive a lot of messages that read: ‘GP2 engine wins now, it should be a sad day for you’,” he said.
“I’m very happy, but the engine I had in the car was not the same as the one winning in Brazil.”
Alonso and Honda could also team up again later in 2020 after speculation suggests a deal with Andretti Autosport, who used Honda engines, is almost complete to compete in the Indianapolis 500 in May.