Brown: Renault F1 engine deal no short-term fix for McLaren

McLaren executive director Zak Brown has stressed that the Formula 1 engine deal struck with Renault from 2018 is not a short-term fix for the British team after three tough years with Honda.

McLaren confirmed its divorce with Honda after 2017 on Friday in Singapore, picking up a Renault engine supply from the beginning of next season on a three-year deal, running until the introduction of the new engine regulations in 2021.

The move sees McLaren give up its works team status, with Renault also supplying Red Bull and its own factory operation, giving the team two comparable rivals for the time being, but Brown is not worried about this.

"This is not a short-term fix. At the end of the day no-one knows yet what the engine rules are in 2021, so I think it's hard for anybody to look beyond 2020," Brown said.

"We think we've got a long-term partnership, the foundation for it. Renault's got a great history in the sport, won a lot of championship with Red Bull, won a lot of championships themselves, so we're very happy where we are.

"We think we'll be very competitive together."

Brown has previously stated that McLaren would be open to developing its own F1 engine from 2021 should the engine regulations prove attractive and cost-effective enough, with talks ongoing between the sport's relevant stakeholders.