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Alonso hails return to Renault power

Abu Dhabi - McLaren will begin a new chapter next year with the Woking-based team partnering engine suppliers Renault

Double world champion Fernando Alonso is relishing the prospect of rekindling his association with Renault next season after a troubled three years with Honda.
McLaren will begin a new chapter next year with the Woking-based team partnering engine suppliers Renault after a failed return with Honda.
The famed British team had Honda engines for a decade from 1983 to 1993 before coming together again in 2015 after they severed ties with Mercedes.
But it didn't go quite as expected with McLaren left to fight at the back as others like Force India, Williams, Toro Rosso, Renault and even Haas having stolen a march over the British marquee.
McLaren currently sit one spot from the bottom in the Constructors' Championship with Alonso and teammate Stoffel Vandoorne 15th and 16th respectively in the Drivers' standings.
McLaren will switch to Renault power next season and Alonso, who had two spells with Renault, felt that the association will return the team back to its glory days.
"I think it's good timing now, to change," Alonso said at the official FIA press conference at the Yas Marina Circuit on Thursday.
"I personally had a lot of expectations for the McLaren- Honda project. That was probably the reason I changed from Ferrari because the McLaren-Honda was a very attractive partnership after the success they had in the past, etcetera. We didn't achieve the results we wanted in the last three years. We didn't perform as we expected. So now I think it's time to change for McLaren and join forces with Renault. I'm quite optimistic, seeing what Red Bull is doing right now with a Renault Power Unit.
"Obviously, it is still missing a little bit on things but overall you fight for podiums, you fight for race wills and that is a very different picture to what we have now in McLaren. So, optimistic for that, no doubts. Your question about Renault, yeah, feeling at home. Coming back a little bit, coming back towards my friends and what I consider my second family, so that will be great and they are a very good company and a very good engine, zero doubts," added the Spaniard.
Alonso struggled to pick out one good memory on McLaren's time with Honda.
"I don't know. Probably on the performance side, in the races, difficult to pick up one race because obviously the performance was never there, even the P5 in Monaco I think last year is still not as fun as it should be," he observed.