Honda is
returning to Formula One. Again. Following
its last exit from the world’s most expensive
sport back in 2008, Honda did not
even leave behind some engines for
other teams to play with. But now it says it will be coming back as an engine
supplier to the McLaren team from 2015. McLaren
is currently being supplied by competitor Mercedes-Benz.
The partnership is a return to what the pair had in the 1980s and 1990s when Ayrton Senna
and Alain Prost drove Honda-powered
McLarens to 8 World Championships
between them. The new engine supply agreement will see the Japanese manufacturer
building a 1.6-litre V6 turbo with
energy recovering systems and other technologies.
Honda President and CEO
Takanobu Ito had these words to say: “Honda has a long history of advancing our technologies and
nurturing our people by participating in the world's most prestigious
automobile racing series. The new F1
regulations with their significant environmental focus will inspire even
greater development of our own advanced technologies and this is central to our participation in F1.”
“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. 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,” said McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh.
Bernie Ecclestone,
CEO of Formula One Group said: “It is a great pleasure to see Honda back in
Formula One. Their engine technology
and passion for motor sports make them a natural Formula One contender.”
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