Honda has confirmed its return to Formula 1 in 2015. During a press conference on Thursday, Chief Executive Officer of Honda Motor Company, Takanobu Ito, revealed that the Japanese manufacturer will rejoin the sport as an engine supplier to the McLaren Formula 1 team.
Having teamed up before from 1988 to the end of 1992, Honda and the Woking-based outfit have won four consecutive Drivers and Constructors titles together. From 2015 onwards, the team will be known as McLaren-Honda.
McLaren's contract with its current engine provider Mercedes runs out at the end of the 2014 season, with the team only using Mercedes' new 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 F1 engines for one year. Next year will see the introduction of 1.6-litre V6 units with turbochargers, direct injection and energy recovery systems in F1.
At its Tochigi R&D facility in Japan, Honda has already started the development of its version of the new power unit for the 2015 F1 campaign.
McLaren is delighted to announce a new #F1 technology partnership with Honda: tinyurl.com/co6g49o #McLarenHonda twitter.com/McLarenF1/stat…
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 16, 2013
Martin Whitmarsh and Takanobu Ito, President and CEO of Honda Motor Co. Ltd, on stage at Honda's HQ in Tokyo. #F1 twitter.com/McLarenF1/stat…
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 16, 2013
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