Alonso admits that expectations are growing at McLaren

Fernando Alonso has admitted that expectations for McLaren are much bigger this season than in the past three campaigns due to their change from Honda engines to Renault parts, and revealed that the atmosphere behind the scenes within the team is a positive one.

McLaren have not won the constructor's championship in 20 years and the last three seasons have been completely devoid of even Grand Prix success, with their lack of wins attributed to their troubles with Honda.

Alonso won his two world championships with Renault over 10 years ago so knows the French manufacturer has the power to catapult McLaren to more success. He claims that, due to the change from Honda, expectations are much higher this season.

"We're going to be much more competitive. I don't know how much," Alonso told AS.

"Last year Red Bull looked like they were going to be strong due to the change in the rules, yet they had a slow start. [Max] Verstappen was forced to retire from a few races, they had completed less laps than us halfway through the year.

"For the expectations on Red Bull, that's a big blow. You always get asked if you are going to have a good car, but if you start badly, it's a huge comedown, so we can't anticipate anything."

"What I can say is that expectations are higher now than they have been during the past three years. The atmosphere at the factory is more positive, and everyone is determined to go that extra bit further, because we all want to be much more competitive - and I think we will be."

Not only has Alonso not won the world championship since 2006, but he has not even won a race since 2013. However, he remains one of the most talented drivers in the sport, with many commentators tipping him for a race win this campaign.