Eric Boullier: 'McLaren could take Honda break'

McLaren's team boss has admitted that the British team could take a break from being powered by Honda engines in Formula 1.

Up and down the paddock, most insiders expect that a full McLaren-Honda divorce is on the cards, but it appears that a trial separation could be a leading option instead.

"On paper it's a good strategy," team boss Boullier told Sky Sports News.

"If you can run a [different] engine for the time being until Honda is competitive, then why not? This is one of the various scenarios we may have considered."

Mercedes's Toto Wolff said in Baku that the issue of McLaren's 2018 engine supplier needs to be resolved by around the end of the summer.

Boullier admitted that the decision is "a question of weeks" away.

The Frenchman also said that McLaren are seeking to keep Fernando Alonso on board for 2018, but other reports indicate that the Spaniard is now almost certain to quit the team.

In Baku, Alonso's management had talks with Mercedes and Renault officials.

When asked if he knows what the future holds for him, Alonso said at the weekend: "Maybe."

Mclaren picked up their first points of the season yesterday, with Alonso finishing in ninth place.