McLaren has had an underwhelming show in the 2023 season so far. While it began with them being late for development, the upgrades didn’t make much of a difference as the Miami result showcased. But is the subpar championship standing a result of a past decision? What could Zak Brown have done? F1 expert Peter Windsor tells us exactly that.

McLaren broke up with Honda after their 2017 season as things had gone massively wrong for the iconic team. The Japanese engine supplier who is currently responsible for powering Red Bull to championships was shown the door at Woking. How bad things were was clearly evident from Fernando Alonso’s rants on the radio, where, in his own innovative ways, he called them out. Peter Windsor in a YouTube live session throws light upon the incorrect handling of Honda by the Papaya team and how they should have been given breathing space and also be retained in the future.

Windsor said, “How things change and how short-sighted a lot of people are. I said at the time that I thought was a massive mistake for McLaren to leave Honda. all they needed to do was re-jig the way in which McLaren worked with Honda, in other words not allow them to just do their own thing in Japan but get sort of control of the program let the technology the brilliant technology of Honda breathe, and be creative. But at the same time, structure it and manage it in a formula-one-esque way, which is exactly what Red Bull has done in Milton Keynes and that’s all McLaren needed to do it.”

On the latest episode of the F1 Nation podcast, Brown explained, “Our goal next year is to get back to a 2021-type season. A handful of podiums, a pole, a win. You know, mix it up. In 2025, we will have had everything that we need. I think we will be winning races in 2025. We’ve got the new era starting in 2026. You know, on paper, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be fighting for the championship.”

Do you think McLaren can go back to winning days anytime soon?