McLaren switchng to Honda power a done deal

[vintly]

This whole story seems to have come from a spurious headline. Andrew Benson's piece for the BBC was titled 'McLaren poised to switch to Honda engines for 2015 season'. There's a line in the piece saying 'McLaren are first expected to race with Honda engines in 2015', but there's nothing to back it up.

Poor reporting, or just  a case of a headline exaggerating a story? Either way, reader beware!

[cosworth151]

I can't help but remember that most of Honda's glory days in F1 are, in racing years, ancient history. Their recent F1 engines have ranged from mediocre to poor. They seemed to be weighed down by a giant corporate bureaucracy.

[Williamsfan]

If he's still around McLaren and this happens, I bet Jenson would be thrilled having Honda power again.  Although their record with Turbos is a lot better.

[F1fanaticBD]

I can't help but remember that most of Honda's glory days in F1 are, in racing years, ancient history. Their recent F1 engines have ranged from mediocre to poor. They seemed to be weighed down by a giant corporate bureaucracy.

That is the point I was trying to make. How come McLaren even consider to have an power-plant (It is not an engine anymore) from this sort of company? Would that not compromise the McLaren brand itself?

[lkjohnson1950]

IF Macca go with Honda, I'm sure they will be competitive. There is some bad feeling between them and Merc, and Honda's record as an engine supplier in a number of racing series is quite good. But it is still a big if. Most of this speculation is based on Honda hiring the former FIA engine rules head after the PURE project (which the guy was consulting for) fell apart. If you hire the guy who wrote the rules, you must be planning to build a power plant. If you build a power plant, you must have a top team to race it. Macca is the only top team even remotely available. That's the line of reasoning here.

[Irisado]

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.   

There is, as you say, more to the story, but what is true is that Spirit understood that they were still to receive a Honda engine supply in 1984.  This was agreed.

It wouldn't be the first time a small team has had the rug pulled out from under its feet by an engine supplier.  Minardi was left in the lurch by Mugen Honda (i.e. Honda) prior to the start of the 1995 season having agreed engine supply terms.

[cosworth151]

Don't forget Super Aguri. Honda pulled the rug out from under them because they were out performing the factory team on a shoestring budget with year old Honda equipment.

I can't help but remember the end of their last factory team. When Ross Brawn took over, the main thing he changed was the engine. Replacing the Honda lump with a Merc took the car from back marker to world beater, on a much smaller budget.

[Cam]

I would guess there is some inherent tension with Mclaren's evolution as a roadcar manufacturer and having one of their roadcar competitors supplying the powerplant to one of their primary marketing tools.

I wonder if Mclaren has considered making their own engines?

[Scott]

I wonder if Mclaren has considered making their own engines?

I recall that was part of the plan a couple of years ago, but they seem to have put that aside for now.  Too bad. 

[Irisado]

I wonder if Mclaren has considered making their own engines?

Like Scott, I recall this being rumoured a few years ago, but I'd imagine that this might be a case of biting off more than they can chew at the moment.  McLaren still have reliability issues to solve with their chassis more often than Ferrari, and even Red Bull in recent years, so a possible unknown engine (in reliability terms) strikes me as being a risk too far.

[Jericoke]

I wonder if Mclaren has considered making their own engines?

I recall that was part of the plan a couple of years ago, but they seem to have put that aside for now.  Too bad. 

From my personal tinfoil hat guessing:  McLaren has assured Honda that if the programme doesn't work out, they'll buy out the factory.

So, Honda pays the start up costs, and McLaren gets either and engine factory, or a championship engine.

[Scott]

That would be a creative twist.   

[F1fanaticBD]

That will make a lot of sense, as because McLaren will be entering into the Supercar market competing with Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche. So having a engine plant will not only help them in F1, but also enhance their product range of these cars.

  Jeri, wonder why Bernie haven't spotted you for his business venture.

[lkjohnson1950]

The Zytek people are working on a LMP 1 engine for their new rules which they say might be adaptable to F1, as the specs are quite similar. Marussia-Zytek anyone?

[Willy]

I have to question Macca's decision to announce this so early. especially if Honda won't be supplying power until possibly 2015!!
Do Macca truly believe Merc will continue to provide top-knotch engines and support for a team that has said they don't want to buy your stuff anymore?
I'm sure there are many backroom dealings that are not common knowledge within these deals but we still can a few assumptions based upon what has been released in the media.
If a customer of mine announced he was jumping ship, I would do all I could to hold unto his business and if he still did a news release that he was leaving, there would be a reduction in services but just to the letter of the contract.
This is just human nature.