McLaren boss says 2003 is main focus

McLaren boss Ron Dennis has admitted he has given up on winning the 2002 World Championship, and will instead concentrate the team's efforts on making improvements that should increase their chances in 2003

According to AUTOSPORT's sister publication Motorsport News, Dennis says his team needs to use the rest of this season as a testbed for next season's challenge for title honours.

"We've got our race-by-race approach, with all sorts of developments," he said. "But we also have to appreciate that, as with any season, the die is cast. So while incremental change will give us results, it's not going to win us the world championship."

McLaren has struggled against pacesetters Ferrari and Williams-BMW this year, and has recorded only three podium finishes from the opening six races. Next year is now the main focus for the Woking-based squad.

"We have to make a quantum leap forward to succeed next year," he said. "We are already spending a significant amount of time on planning for next year to try and get ourselves in a position to jump back to the front."

According to MN, McLaren is considering a switch of electronics supplier, despite its long-term relationship with TAG.