Formula One managing director Ross Brawn feels McLaren’s choice to ditch Honda was required for the team to rise up. McLaren used Honda as an engine supplier for 3 years in what can only be described as a disaster.

Ross Brawn on McLaren F1

Brawn, who was the mastermind behind Ferrari’s six consecutive World Championships, believes McLaren cutting ties with Honda was only a good thing.

McLaren switched to Renault power in 2018 and the team had a fairly mediocre season. However, it was apparent that the fault didn’t lie entirely with Honda. McLaren finished the season a lowly sixth and needed to find a solution quickly to get out of the slump.

In 2019, the team signed two new drivers in Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. Despite not having a seasoned world champion, McLaren had its best year in F1 since 2014.

The team finished 4th in the Constructors’ Standings and even picked up an unlikely podium at the Brazilian Grand Prix. It was the team’s first in 5 years. Some could attribute McLaren’s astonishing turnaround to bold management decisions, team reshuffling and a solid job of rebuilding the team.

Honda, on the other hand, struck gold with Red Bull in their first year together. The Milton-Keynes outfit picked up 3 victories and capped off the year with Max Verstappen finishing 3rd in the Drivers’ Championship.

Brawn suggested that McLaren mustn’t regret dropping the Japanese manufacturer but take away the positives.

Brawn said, “They’ve got some sensible people there now, and it took them a while to recognise that,”

“People say they made a big mistake getting rid of Honda. But, I think funnily enough they almost needed to do that to recognise what they needed to do with the team.”

“They were blaming Honda all the time and I think they would recognise now that wasn’t true. That wasn’t everything. And in getting rid of Honda and getting a benchmark, they recognised they had to do something with the team.” remarked Brawn.

Brawn concluded by saying McLaren had made some very sensible changes within the team.

Having spearheaded various teams to 9 World Championships, McLaren would be wise to accept Ross Brawn’s analysis.