McLaren F1 boss says team will dethrone Mercedes

McLaren will be the team to put an end to Mercedes' dominance of Formula 1, according to the British squad's boss Ron Dennis. "I honestly believe that the next world champions after Mercedes will be McLaren," Dennis told the BBC. "We'll get to that goal before other people.

"It is challenging but I have a firm belief in the technical competence of our people and a firm belief in Honda," Dennis added. Mercedes has dominated the V6 turbo era, taking the drivers' and constructors' championships in 2014 and 2015 and winning 36 of the last 43 races. The German team has started the 2016 season as it ended 2015, and is clear favorite to win again this year. McLaren, meanwhile, has not won a race since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, and has struggled to be competitive since it started its partnership with Honda at the start of last year.

Dennis, however, reckons the 2017 regulation changes will offer his team a good chance to take a big step forward. "The 2017 regulations level the playing field and it is enough time for us to catch up with Honda, so I think we'll have a good chance next year," Dennis said. "I think we can win races."

I don't want to predict world championships but I do feel that dethroning Mercedes-Benz is going to be a challenge for everybody and I have reason to genuinely believe we'll get there before anybody else."

This story by Pablo Elizalde originally appeared on Motorsport.com, the world's leader in auto racing news, photos, and video.



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