--- title: "McLaren-Renault: The Problems Continue, but Why?" description: "McLaren-Renault: The Problems Continue, but Why?" date: "2018-03-10" modified: "2018-03-10" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19129/mclaren-renault-the-problems-continue-but-why" categories: - "News" tags: - "Formula 1" - "mclaren" - "McLaren-Honda" - "McLaren-Renault" - "racing" - "Renault Sport" --- # McLaren-Renault: The Problems Continue, but Why? ![]() *\www.thedrive.com\* All eight days of Formula 1's winter testing are now complete, and while teams like Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG, and Red Bull made headlines for their [scorching lap times]() around the Circuit de Catalunya, McLaren-Renault was touted as the class clown of pre-season testing. The Papaya Orange outfit began its testing campaign with a major blunder that'd only be justifiable of a rookie IndyCar team, certainly not of a top-tier [Formula 1]() outfit. With just six laps under his belt, Fernando Alonso ended up in the gravel after a spectacular spin due to a loose rear wheel. Similar "WTF?" kind of mistakes plagued the team including dropping the car off the jack during a pit stop, and not being able to attach tires properly, or even on the right side, as this [video]() shows. It wasn't just Alonso who suffered problems in Spain as Stoffel Vandoorne's track time was considerably reduced due to the amount of time the car had to spend in the garage being repaired. [Vandoorne]() suffered from two mechanical failures on Tuesday which forced him to sit on the sidelines and watch as most of the field got on with the program. Red Bull, Renault's other customer team, suffered from battery-related issues which Renault denied also affected McLaren. https://youtube.com/embed/NMu7G7AN-XQ "The issues that we've had I don't think have any relationship to the installation of the battery at all," said Renault chief technical officer Bob Bell. “We (the works team) haven’t had any problem, but what we do ahead of Melbourne is that we try and shakedown all of the battery systems to make sure all of the stock that is going racing is in good shape." Despite having to replace several engines in just eight days, racing director [Eric Boullier]() described all the problems as "minor issues", adding: "Very quickly we are going to get back to normal." At the end of the day, it begs to ask the question: with Honda out of the picture, who or what's to blame for McLaren's silly mistakes and explosive unreliability? Is it McLaren's culture, the need to involve shareholders in every decision the team has to make, team bosses? Or are recent issues merely growing pains? ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()