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Struggling McLaren-Honda F1 partners near 'fork in the road'

WOKING, England - McLaren's partnership with Honda has not worked so far, and the team is now approaching a "fork in the road," executive director Zak Brown said on Wednesday. Speaking to Reuters in his office at the Formula One team's headquarters, Brown (pictured above) indicated clearly that a parting of the ways was a real option under consideration by management. The American said engine upgrades promised for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix were not ready, and the Japanese manufacturer could not say when they might be. And while McLaren still wanted to win championships with Honda, there were serious concerns as to whether that was achievable. "Honda's working very hard, but they seem a bit lost," said Brown, who replaced Ron Dennis at the helm late last year. "We were only told recently that we wouldn't have the upgrade coming (for Montreal) ... and we don't have a definitive timeline, which is concerning because the pain is great and we can't sit around forever. "We were eagerly awaiting this upgrade as were our drivers, and it's a big disappointment that it's not coming. It's not lack of effort, but they are struggling to get it to come together."FAILURE AND EMBARRASSMENT McLaren, the second oldest and most successful team in Formula One after Ferrari in terms of race wins, are the only ones yet to score a point this season. They have not won a race since 2012. The renewed partnership with Honda in 2015 was billed as a return to the glory days, when French great Alain Prost and the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna dominated the late 1980s and early 1990s. Instead it has brought failure and embarrassment to the former world champions, whose cars have failed to finish races -- and sometimes even start them -- due to engine failures. Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, a double world champion whose future is uncertain, said in March that "we have only one problem, and that is the power unit. There is no reliability and there is no power." Honda's engine troubles even plagued Alonso at the Indy 500, where a failure took him out of the race. McLaren were ninth in 2015, sixth last year and this season could become their worst ever. MARCHING ORDERS "The executive committee have now given us our marching orders," said Brown, who is also chairman of the fast-growing Motorsport Network media group. "We're not going to go into another year like this, in hope." "I don't want to get into what our options are.

Meet the carbon-fiber F1 racer that started it all

We take it for granted that Formula One racing cars are made from carbon fiber. But that wasn't always the case, of course. And as with any revolution, this one had to start somewhere. Enter the McLaren MP4/1. It was the very first F1 car built around a carbon-fiber monocoque, introduced at a time when every other team was still using aluminum. McLaren introduced the original MP4 after merging (at Marlboro's behest) with the Project 4 team, bringing its chief Ron Dennis on board to call the shots. The design made its debut in 1981, winning the British Grand Prix at Silverstone that year and serving as the basis for the team's design for the next three years. Niki Lauda won two grands prix behind the wheel of the subsequent MP4B. But more importantly, the carbon-fiber MP4 changed the face not only of racing, but of supercar design to follow. Little wonder then that McLaren hasn't made a race or road car since that hasn't been based around a carbon monocoque chassis, from the prototypical MP4/1 to today's MP4-31, and from the legendary McLaren F1 road car to the latest 570S. But don't take our word for it; hear the story direct from the car's designer John Bernard in this latest video direct from Woking. Related Video:

Like-new McLaren F1 for sale with just 2,800 miles

If seeing a McLaren F1 for sale is a rarity, seeing one on sale in "Concours condition" with 2,800 miles on the clock is perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime event. But that's what's we have here. This is McLaren F1 number 69 – make your jokes, you children – and if its excellent condition and low miles weren't enough to make you raid your Swiss bank accounts, the fact that McLaren Special Operations' Heritage Division is selling it should. It's also one of the last McLaren F1s ever built, if that wets your whistle. According to the British automaker, chassis 69 was the 60th F1 built in Woking, near the end of the vehicle's production run in 1998. It's a sinister looking car, too. McLaren painted the body Carbon Black with matching 17-inch, magnesium wheels. The cabin doubles down on the devilish looks, with a black-and-red leather driver's seat. We know there's something to be said for McLaren's traditional orange, but we just love the look of this black-on-black beauty. Because these things matter, McLaren is selling this particular F1 with all the goodies the original owner received when they took delivery. That means fitted luggage, a lightweight titanium toolkit and box, all the books and papers (including a "correct numbered LM Edition of the "Driving Ambition" McLaren F1 book"), and of course, the numbered Tag Heuer watch. Essentially, it sounds like whoever purchases this F1 is essentially getting a brand new 18-year-old car. Pricing? Well, the old adage is as true here as it is with any other exotic – if you have to ask, you can't afford it. If, however, you're the lucky sort that has the disposable income to drop seven-figures on this rarity, you can contact McLaren's Special Operations Division for details. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.