McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says his team "definitely" has the potential in its Honda partnership to challenge Mercedes.
Mercedes has been the dominant force in F1 since the introduction of the V6 turbo power unit regulations, winning 24 of the 29 races since the start of 2014.
McLaren moved from Mercedes power to Honda at the start of this year, and Boullier told F1i during an exclusive interview he is confident there are "seconds" of performance still in its package.
Asked if he feels McLaren has a concept with the potential to challenge Mercedes which has yet to be seen, Boullier replied: "Yeah, not now, but definitely eventually.
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"One of the reasons we keep the drivers happy because they know the commitment behind them of both Honda and McLaren.
"Yes, they are impatient because they would like to start being competitive now and we do this job because we are competitive people, but there is a process to go through.
"These engines are very, very complicated – very complicated – but this is the price to pay to have the technology and be the pinnacle of motorsport.”
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