F1: Alonso motivated to help build up McLaren after tough season
Fernando Alonso says he has welcomed the challenge of helping to lift McLaren-Honda, as he needed some new motivation.
The Spaniard insists that he remains positive, despite the team's disastrously uncompetitive season.
"A tough year, obviously difficult and struggling with the pace all year and the reliability, so definitely a difficult season for us," Alonso said. "But personally, I think it was necessary. It was a step forward in my career after the two championships, after five fantastic seasons fighting for the World Championship but arriving second, so I needed some new motivation, some new project that I could trust and I could believe is the only way to become champion again.
"After one difficult season, as I said, I learned so much. I enjoy working with McLaren, with Honda, with all the Japanese discipline and Japanese culture into the team. I still remain very positive. I'm very, very happy and looking forward to next year being a little bit easier than this one that, as I said, has been difficult in terms of results."
Alonso admitted it was impossible to judge how competitive the team will be in 2016.
"At the moment there's a question mark, I guess, where McLaren-Honda can be next year," he added. "There are a lot of expectations in the team. I think we worked really all season - being united in some difficult moments and always moving forward.
"So I think for 2016 the main goal for the team is to come back to where we belong, we think, and being competitive - fighting for the top positions. I don't know if that means fighting for the championship. I don't know if that means fighting for victories or just being on the podium sometimes. That's always difficult to know in a very complex sport like Formula One.
"There are definitely some big challenges ahead in this winter. I see all the things that the team has done in the last couple of months and these seem very logical - very positive. I'm confident that it's going to be a completely different season next year and I'm happy with the progress."
