Thursday 16th May 2013

Honda returns to F1 with McLaren

Tie-up will see the return of iconic McLaren-Honda nameplate

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Honda has announced today that it’ll be returning to the world of Formula One. A new partnership will see the Japanese manufacturer once again supplying engines to the McLaren team.

Previous partnership was halcyon for both

The partnership, which will come into effect for the 2015 season, puts Honda is in charge of the development, manufacture and supply of McLaren’s new 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 power unit, as well as the KERS system that’ll be mounted to it. McLaren, meanwhile, will develop and manufacture the chassis, and run the team. Honda says it hopes that the technical experience it’ll gain from competing at the top level of motorsport will once again inform its future engineering development, so hopefully we can expect some trickle-down to cars like the new NSX. And with that new model just around the corner, it’s a fair bet that the 'race on Sunday and sell on Monday' philosophy is something Honda has firmly in mind, too. Fingers will be crossed, however, that the new venture doesn't go the way of Honda's last dabble in F1.

The news will be particularly satisfying for fans of retro F1, as it means the return of the McLaren-Honda partnership that powered Ayrton Senna to all three of his world championships, and gave the McLaren team arguably the most successful period in its history. From 1988 to 1991, the pairing won all four drivers’ and constructors’ championships – and given a lacklustre showing thus far in the 2013 season, the team will be hoping to channel that history and relive its former success.

Team hopes new deal will improve its fortunes

“The names of McLaren and Honda are synonymous with success in Formula One, and, for everyone who works for both companies, the weight of our past achievements together lies heavily on our shoulders,” said McLaren’s team boss Martin Whitmarsh. “But it's a mark of the ambition and resolve we both share that we want once again to take McLaren Honda to the very pinnacle of Formula One success. Together we have a great legacy – and we’re utterly committed to maintaining it.”

[Mermaid]

Should liven it up a bit.

[CrispyRice]

So what engine will McLaren be running in 2014?

[geeks]

CrispyRice said:

So what engine will McLaren be running in 2014?

Mercedes I am sure they already confirmed this somewhere will see if i can find it...

[CraigyMc]

geeks said:

CrispyRice said:

So what engine will McLaren be running in 2014?

Mercedes I am sure they already confirmed this somewhere will see if i can find it...

You don't need to confirm it. They are using Mercedes engines. McLaren are even *paying* for them.

C

[TonyHetherington]

The biggest question though, what will their livery be?! I've always assumed the silver was because of the Merc connection, so when that goes they have free reign

[The Don of Croy]

Any chance of Williams and Renault tying the knot too?

[PascalBuyens]

Sad that Senna can't return...

[CrispyRice]

Burno can

[Henry Fiddleton]

The Don of Croy said:

Any chance of Williams and Renault tying the knot too?

They have been using them for years!

Colour wise, MW has hinted at the desire to use Orange (Mac colours) for a while.
But I doubt it.

[V8 GRF]

TonyHetherington said:

The biggest question though, what will their livery be?! I've always assumed the silver was because of the Merc connection, so when that goes they have free reign

Possibly a return to the classic white and red although they're parting company with Vodafone at the end of 2013 aren't they?

[Kermit79]

The Don of Croy said:

Any chance of Williams and Renault tying the knot too?

They already use Renault engines???

[gezkc]

TonyHetherington said:

The biggest question though, what will their livery be?! I've always assumed the silver was because of the Merc connection, so when that goes they have free reign

I'd like to see the Red and white livery again, though I'm not sure if they'd be able to use it without Marlboro's say so.

Though saying that, Lotus are using the JPS colour scheme, so I guess it wouldn't be too much of an issue.

Edited by gezkc on Thursday 16th May 11:00

[CraigyMc]

TonyHetherington said:

The biggest question though, what will their livery be?! I've always assumed the silver was because of the Merc connection, so when that goes they have free reign

I hope for their sake it's something in Telmex colours...

McLaren ran Merc engines for a couple of years (1995/1996) before changing from the Marlboro to West colours.

It was when West became the title sponsor (1997 - MP4/12) that they moved to the silver/black scheme.

C

[TonyHetherington]

I don't recall the specifics, but wasn't there some form of hoo-hah over the red and white livery with Marlboro. Something about who owns the rights to it?

Nevertheless, Telmex is light greeny blue isn't it? That might be on the cards.

[Nick644]

PascalBuyens said:

Sad that Senna can't return...

One would imagine, if he were still alive, he would by now be long retired.

[Galileo]

That's great news for McLaren and F1 in general.

Who gives a st what colour the car is going to be?

[Renn Sport]

Honda should get Bruno Senna in the NSX as a development driver.

That would be good for marketing.

[ajprice]

CraigyMc said:

TonyHetherington said:

The biggest question though, what will their livery be?! I've always assumed the silver was because of the Merc connection, so when that goes they have free reign

I hope for their sake it's something in Telmex colours...

McLaren ran Merc engines for a couple of years (1995/1996) before changing from the Marlboro to West colours.

It was when West became the title sponsor (1997 - MP4/12) that they moved to the silver/black scheme.

C

Whitmarsh likes orange, if they can get a sponsor to go with it.

"Asked, however, if the change of title sponsor for next year in the wake of Vodafone’s scheduled departure might be a chance for McLaren to return to orange, Whitmarsh answered: “I really like the idea.

“Orange is a great colour, especially for McLaren,” he told the Russian website Formula 1news.ru.

“We use it for our racing GT and it looks great, and we’ll continue to move in this direction.

“Formula 1 is a bit different: the modern business model is one of the main tasks of the team — to promote the brands of our partners.

“But if we’re lucky enough to find a sponsor who likes orange, you could see that colour again in Formula 1,” added Whitmarsh."

http://www.yallaf1.com/2013/05/13/mclaren-could-re...

[FourWheelDrift]

V8 GRF said:

Possibly a return to the classic white and red although they're parting company with Vodafone at the end of 2013 aren't they?

They wouldn't want to be running Marlboro colours when they aren't sponsored by them. Ferrari still have them.

[toppstuff]

Very good news.

Honda engineers are right at the top of the tree when it comes to engine tech.

Get the chassis and driver combo right and they could be awesome.

Would be cool to see cooperation with Mclaren road cars too. Honda have no input, participation or presence in the premium sector. Would not surprise me to see Honda invest there in the future.