It's a marriage no one is happy with, and now it looks to be over.
NESN is reporting that the McLaren-Honda partnership is coming to a close amid poor showings and no 1st place finishes so far in 2017. Adam Stern from the SportsBusiness Journal tweeted Tuesday a deal is expected to be announced with French manufacturer Renault within days during Formula 1's Asian swing.
.@McLarenF1's Future Set To Be Revealed In Singapore With @RenaultSportF1 Poised To Replace @Honda - https://t.co/Swac1HyZcY (@MailOnline) pic.twitter.com/PI5Fa3PzoX
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) September 12, 2017
Honda supplies the engines for McLaren.
That deal, though, is convoluted enough to make any NFL team owner proud. While McLaren inks a deal with Renault, they also reportedly helped Honda team up with Toro Rosso so that the Japanese car maker could remain in Formula 1.
As part of the three-way deal, Toro Rosso will loan Carlos Sainz, Jr. to Renault for the 2018 season. There is a chance Sainz, Jr. could drive for Renault as soon as the Malaysian Grand Prix in a few weeks. And if that happens, Red Bull junior driver Pierre Gasly would jump to Toro Rosso.
Confused yet?
We should know in a few days if all this pans out.