McLaren targeting regular F1 podiums with Renault in 2018

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier has set an early target of the team regularly scoring podium finishes in Formula 1 next year when it links up with new engine partner Renault.

McLaren confirmed last weekend in Singapore it would split with struggling power unit supplier Honda at the end of the season, opting to switch allegiance to Renault in a bid to move up the field and become more competitive.

When asked about some early targets for 2018, Boullier said a minimum target would be to regularly finish on the podium, but stressed it was too early to make any firm expectations.

“It’s a bit early. We aim to be competitive and to be at least regularly on the podium if we can, and even better,” Boullier said.

“It’s a bit early. There’s still some regulation changes for next year with the introduction of Halo and this kind of stuff, and we’re just in September.

“Even if we started working early on next year’s car, we need to wait a little bit more. We also need to wait for testing and obviously Australia to understand where the other teams are in terms of performance.”

McLaren has not scored a podium finish since the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, and is without a race victory since the 2012 finale in Brazil, won by Jenson Button.