McLaren in meltdown as Boullier resigns

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier has resigned from his post as the British team's 2018 slump begins to bite hard. A switch to Renault power units was supposed to shake the eight-time constructors' champions out of a slump they had suffered with Honda, but Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne remain uncompetitive.

Although Alonso is eighth in the world drivers' championship, his best finish of fifth - in the season-opening race in Australia - is a far cry from the podium finishes and even victories that McLaren forecasted for 2018 after linking up with Renault.

A crippling lack of qualifying pace has hampered them badly, Alonso has taken part in Q3 just twice this year and Vandoorne is yet to do so.

The deficiencies in McLaren's set-up has been highlighted by the success of Red Bull, who have three wins to their name this year alongside Mercedes and Ferrari using the same engines as the Woking squad.

Boullier - a high-profile face in the F1 paddock - has paid with his job, having led the racing operations at McLaren over the past four years.

He said in a statement: "I am very proud to have worked with such a brilliant team over the past four years, but I recognise now is the right time for me to step down. I want to wish everyone at McLaren the best for the remainder of the season and for the future."

McLaren's struggles could see them lose arguably their greatest asset in Alonso.

The two-time world champion has dragged unlikely performances out of his car to score points in two thirds of races this year, but his recent victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours puts him one step away from winning motorsport's 'Triple Crown' - with reports suggesting a move to IndyCar and a shot at the Indianapolis 500 will follow in 2019.

CEO Zak brown has spoken of his determination to keep hold of Alonso, with a firm focus now put on giving the Spaniard competitive machinery.

Brown said: "The performance of the MCL33 in 2018 has not met the expectations of anyone at McLaren, especially our loyal fans. This is not the fault of the hundreds of committed and hard-working men and women at McLaren.

"The causes are systemic and structural, which require major change from within. With today’s announcement, we start to address those issues head on and take the first step on our road to recovery."