McLaren and Honda could now be on a fast track to F1 divorce. Paddock speculation in Melbourne is rife that, now into its third year of an unsuccessful works collaboration with Honda, the great British team's patience with the Japanese carmaker is up. That frustration is palpable in the team's top driver, Fernando Alonso. For instance, while the Spaniard says the new generation of cars means the ‘old' F1 is back again, it is believed the team has told its drivers to short-shift in Melbourne in order to reduce the power unit's uncontrolled vibrations. Alonso qualified an unexpected 13th, but said: 'It is no reason to celebrate. I will not be thirteenth all season.' Most who heard...
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