Pit Stop | McLaren need drastic changes to put a brake on their bleak fortunes

"GP2 engine, GP2." With an exasperated groan, Fernando Alonso finished his curt radio message to the McLaren pit wall in the Japanese Grand Prix. It was an astonishing outburst, given the Spaniard knew television coverage would beam the comments around the world. Astonishing because his comment came at the Japanese Grand Prix, the home of engine supplier Honda; in fact at the track the Japanese firm owns.

The grand old British team are in a deep, deep hole at the moment. They are saddled with an engine that is not up to the task. Worse still, it seems to be getting little better.

On top of that, McLaren are suffering something of a cash crisis. Their lack of success this season is double trouble for the bank balance. Being at the back of the grid means being at the back of the queue when prize money is being dished out.

But it has also meant sponsors are hard to come by, and those they already have are starting to abandon ship. It has been reported that Johnny Walker, the drinks company, and bank Santander are walking away after this year. That is worth around £20 million (HK$235 million) a year. Add to that the lack of a title sponsor: Vodaphone walked away a couple of years ago, and no replacement has been found.

This is partly due to the fact that McLaren apparently refused to drop the asking price, declining a £43 million-a-year offer from Johnny Walker at the end of 2013. Perhaps it's just as well that Honda provides those underperforming engines for free, pay a lot of the drivers' wages and contributes £25 million in sponsorship.

You might think they will free up one driver's wage soon, given Alonso's comments. The only problem is that there are not that many options for the Spaniard, who is only in the first year of a three-year McLaren contract. If he stays, and is fully committed, it will be a huge boost.