Alonso's 'GP2 Engine' Joke

Alonso's 'GP2 Engine' Joke Fernando Alonso's "GP2 engine" joke refers to his candid and sarcastic remark during the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, where he described the Honda power unit in his McLaren as a "GP2 engine" and called it "embarrassing." This comment was made on team radio after Alonso was overtaken by slower cars, highlighting his frustration with the underpowered and unreliable Honda engine that severely hampered McLaren’s competitiveness. The term "GP2 engine" mocked the power unit by comparing it to engines used in GP2 (now Formula 2), which is a feeder series below Formula 1, implying that the F1 car had performance closer to a lower-tier racing category. Alonso later explained that this outburst stemmed from genuine frustration rather than an attempt to publicly criticize Honda; he had expected private communication on team radio but was caught off guard when his remarks were broadcast. The situation underscored the difficulties McLaren faced with Honda’s return as an F1 engine supplier from 2015 to 2017, marked by power deficits and reliability problems. This episode has since become a memorable meme within motorsport circles symbolizing driver exasperation with technical shortcomings.