McLaren switchng to Honda power a done deal

[John S]

- Only question left is start date, 2014 or the following year?       
Whoar! The great combo of Macca and Honda, sounds good to me. 

McLaren and Honda are set to team up again with the Woking squad reportedly on the verge of signing a deal with the engine manufacturer.
 
If reports are to be believed than McLaren's partnership with Mercedes will come to a halt at the end of the current season as the Woking team will replace them with Honda.
 
Japanese manufacturer Honda has been out of Formula One since 2008, but they are set to return when the sport switches from the current 2.4-litre V8 engines to 1.6-litre turbos.
 
According to Germany's Auto Motor Und Sport, it is a done deal and the only "question is whether the Japanese manufacturer is coming in 2014 or wait until 2015".
 
McLaren, who won four consecutive titles from 1988 to 1991 when they last teamed up with Honda, are keeping mum though with a spokesperson telling BBC Sport: "We never discuss media rumours about potential partners."
 
'McLaren are first expected to race with Honda engines in 2015,' the website added.
 
Mercedes have been supplying McLaren power units since 1995 and the two parties renewed their agreement in 2009 with the terms of the details stipulating that the deal could continue beyond the 2013 campaign.
 
The German manufacturer is also yet to comment on the issue with their new F1 executive director Toto Wolff saying: "We are looking for a long-term engine supplier relationship with McLaren-Mercedes."

Planetf1.com, Today.

[Irisado]

This is starting to look like more than just rumour to me.

It's well known that McLaren don't want to be a Mercedes customer forever, and a new tie up with Honda would give them the exclusivity that they desire.  It makes sense, although I'm a touch surprised that it seems to be coming together quite so quickly, unless a lot was already happening behind closed doors, and it's only just been leaked.

[Scott]

As long as Honda get it right.  I hope they do.  I'm a bit disappointed Ron's plans to become an engine manufacturer haven't panned out - but with the F1 engine regs apparently chosen by dart board, it's hard to blame him for putting it on the backburner for the moment.

[cosworth151]

I wonder if this means that they will be pulling out of IndyCar.

[Dare]

I wonder if this means that they will be pulling out of IndyCar.

Maybe Indy's switch to turbo was a testing arena
for them.If they were to pull out would anyone notice?
I'll still watch the Indy 500 but I've about given upon
tje Indy car races

[F1fanaticBD]

But will that be not a big gamble for a big team like McLaren? Mercedes has surely given McLaren quite a few success in recent times, to abandon that and go to an untested engine seems like a drunk gambler's call. They putting way too many things at stake here.

I think what they can do is take Marussia with them as partner for Honda engine, that way they overcome a bit of handicap they will face if they are the only team being supplied by Honda engines.

[John S]

F1 has always been for big risk takers BD, without pushing the boundaries we wouldn't have had the brilliant ideas from, John Cooper, Colin Chapman, Mike Costin & Keith Duckworth, Gordon Murray, John Barnard, Mario Illien, Patrick Head, Adrian Newey et al. Many times in the past teams have taken the leap to a different engine supplier, some successful some not, however nothing stays the same forever so good luck to McLaren.

On your point about Marussia I was discussing, with my youngest son this morning, how Honda's entry back into F1 would shake up more than just the McLaren team and we arrived at the same conclusion. Makes even more sense when you add in John Booth's statement that Bianchi's signing is not part of a Ferrari engine deal.

 

 

[Irisado]

Small teams ought to recall what happened to Spirit in 1983 before signing deals with Honda as an engine supplier .  (I'll elaborate for anyone who doesn't know, and is interested).

There's also the issue of different needs.  If the engine were to be configured around a title aspirant, such as McLaren, would it really also work for a small team like Marussia?  I know that existing F1 engines work okay as customer units, but this be the same for a returnee like Honda?  I'm appealing to all those of you with a better knowledge of the technical side of F1 to help me out here.

[lkjohnson1950]

I think with the integrated KERS, you have a valid point Irisado. As has been said, it's not really an engine anymore but a power system, and has to be designed in to the car.

[F1fanaticBD]

Small teams ought to recall what happened to Spirit in 1983 before signing deals with Honda as an engine supplier .  (I'll elaborate for anyone who doesn't know, and is interested).

I am interested to know..

[Irisado]

I am interested to know..

Spirit was a small team, which made its debut in 1983 with a Honda engine.  Honda were using it as toe in the water exercise, in preparation for supplying Williams in 1984, but Spirit was led to believe that they would still receive Honda engines as a customer in 1984.  Honda changed its mind, and Spirit was left high and dry.

The team struggled on with the unreliable Hart Turbo in 1984, and folded three races into the 1985 season.

[John S]

I think there is a little more to it than you suggest Irisado. The first proper F1 chassis from Spirit , as opposed to their modified F2 chassis, was not race ready and suffered many technical problems.

Not really the sort of thing an engine supplier trying to develop a new power plant, with all the reliability issues that involves, needs. Hence the proven engineering experience at Williams became an obvious and welcome alternative.
Remember this was the era of serious competition between the big money teams to get the best of the new fangled turbo engines.

I'm sure the Spirit team always knew they were simply a springboard for Honda turbo engines in F1, if the engines never showed promise the big boys would not have come knocking, and Spirit would still have been a back end team with an uncompetitive engine anyway.   

 

[Monty]

But will that be not a big gamble for a big team like McLaren? Mercedes has surely given McLaren quite a few success in recent times, to abandon that and go to an untested engine seems like a drunk gambler's call.

I do not think Ron is a gambling man. If McLaren move to Honda (and I for one have been forecasting this ever since the new Turbo rules were announced) it will be a carefully managed and well funded program.
Do not under-estimate the bad feeling that was created when Mercedes set up their own F1 team and told McLaren that they would have to start paying for the engines they had been intrinsically involved in developing. I believe the Mercedes engines originally based on Ilmor designs would not have become as successful without the engineering input from McLaren.
They can offer the same level of technical assistance to Honda and Honda only get involved if they believe they can win.

[F1fanaticBD]

I am interested to know..

Spirit was a small team, which made its debut in 1983 with a Honda engine.  Honda were using it as toe in the water exercise, in preparation for supplying Williams in 1984, but Spirit was led to believe that they would still receive Honda engines as a customer in 1984.  Honda changed its mind, and Spirit was left high and dry.

The team struggled on with the unreliable Hart Turbo in 1984, and folded three races into the 1985 season.

Thank You Irisado 

[F1fanaticBD]

Well Mr. Whitemarsh has given the verdict, so I guess nothing will be changed until the end of 2015, which in the context of F1, is almost more than a lifetime.

http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3213/8543215/McLaren-sticking-with-Merc...-for-now