Back in the early days, Honda was both an entrant and an engine supplier for the highest tier of motorsports; Formula 1. But with the Global financial crisis bogging the team down heavily, they had no choice but to exit the sport in December 2008. However, that will not be the last time we will be hearing the Japanese brand in the sport as Honda is returning into Formula 1 in 2015.
As for the time being, their role in the sport will be as a power unit supplier. And since Honda and McLaren have a special relationship bonded back in the 1980s, McLaren will proudly accept the new V6 turbocharged engine to run in their cars. McLaren has said that they might run their cars with the Honda engines before pre-season testing in 2015, but the definite date has yet been confirmed.
“Working towards Honda’s F1 participation starting in the 2015 season, development of the power unit is entering its prime phase at our R&D facility is Sakura (Tochigi, Japan), where we transferred our automobile motor sports development earlier this year,” said Yasuhisa Arai, Senior Managing Officer of Honda R&D.
“In the meantime, our racing operation base in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, has become fully operational. At this time, we are unveiling an image of our power unit that is under development. The whole team is concentrating on this development, getting ready for the forthcoming start of F1 participation in 6 months. Please stay tuned for further updates,” he added.
