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Fernando Alonso denies giving McLaren a Honda-or-me ultimatum

MONZA, Italy — Fernando Alonso has denied telling McLaren to choose between him and Honda as the Spaniard considers his future with the Formula One team. The two-time world champion also dismissed media speculation that he retired from last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix without there being anything technically wrong with his car's power unit. Some reports this week suggested that Alonso had run out of patience after three years of unreliable and under-powered engines and had told McLaren he would leave if it stayed with Honda. "Absolutely not true," the Spaniard, who won his titles with Renault more than a decade ago, told reporters at the Italian Grand Prix on Thursday. "I have absolutely not decided. More than anything I'm not bigger than a team," added the 36-year-old, who has said he will decide his future in September. His current contract expires at the end of the season. McLaren has sounded out Renault and has also indicated it would support Honda moving to Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso. Honda said after Spa that it could find nothing wrong with Alonso's race engine, but the driver expressed surprise that anyone could suggest he had faked a failure. "It seems people forget that I'm racing here for three years, giving my maximum ... I tried to race with a broken rib in Bahrain," he said, explaining that sensors had started to fail and something had felt wrong. "We retired the car, and they checked the whole engine and it seems everything is fine ... so we will try to fit that engine tomorrow (in the second practice). If it blows up, we will change it," he said. Alonso expects to start Sunday's race at the back of the grid due to penalties for further engine changes. Regarding his future, he said he would start discussing with the team and Honda their expectations for next year and look at what was on the table. "I think we do have now some ingredients to be champions," he said. "I think the team did improve a lot in the last three years ... I think we have the talent in the team, we have the facilities. "We just miss (being) more competitive. We will see what the numbers are saying for next year and after that try to make a decision." Asked whether he thought Honda could be competitive in the short term, he replied: "I think you never know. It could be possible. Why not?" Reporting by Alan BaldwinRelated Video:

Lego McLaren Senna is cheap to own, but you have to build it yourself

At about a million dollars, the McLaren Senna's price tag is eye-popping. But if you're willing to build it yourself, you can get it for a fraction of the price. Well, and if you're OK with it being much smaller and made of plastic, since this assembly-required Senna is a new Lego Speed Champions kit. Since the Speed Champions cars are quite small, a lot of detail is lost, especially when replicating such a complex and detailed car as the Senna. But key details such as the clear door panels and airplane-sized wing have been translated to brick. The kit also includes a wind tunnel fan so your Lego mini figures can live the McLaren engineer life, finding ways to cut drag on a vehicle with so many flat surfaces and sharp corners. The Lego McLaren kit is available now wherever Legos are sold. On the Lego web store, it's listed for $14.99. Related Video:

McLaren 570S Spider gets new lightweight track pack for $24,000

The McLaren 570S Spider is one of the most versatile sports cars around. It's fast, comfortable and practical, but it's slightly less capable from the factory than its fixed-roof brethren. McLaren is changing that with a new lightweight track pack. It's similar to the one on the 570S Coupe and shaves nearly 73 pounds from the car. That said, at more than $24,000, it's not exactly the cheapest way to go on a diet. According to McLaren, 10 percent of 570S coupe owners opt for the track pack. Carbon fiber is the name of the game here. Inside, Alcantara-wrapped carbon-fiber seats shave 29 pounds from the car. These are paired with a Alcantara steering wheel with carbon-fiber spokes and shift paddles. The doors, center console, and infotainment system all have carbon-fiber trim, too. All track pack models are fitted with McLaren's Track Telemetry system. On the outside, the 570S Spider track pack gets a Dark Palladium-painted roof and lightweight 10-spoke forged alloy wheels with Pirelli P-Zero Corsa summer tires. Those wheels save 33 pounds in total. Customers can option some carbon-fiber trim pieces, too. The 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 breathes a little easier thanks to a new titanium exhaust system. McLaren doesn't say how much power it adds, but it should at least make the car a little louder. Related Video: Featured Gallery McLaren 570S Spider Track Pack Design/Style McLaren Convertible Luxury Performance mclaren 570s mclaren 570s spider