Honda will return to Formula 1 in 2015 as engine supplier to McLaren.
Honda left F1 at the end of 2008, but has been tempted back to the sport by the new 2014 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engine rules. The firm confirmed in a statement that it has already begun development of its all-new 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 Formula 1 engine, working out of its R&D facility in Tochigi, Japan.
The team will be renamed McLaren Honda.
"For everyone that works for the company, the weight of our past achievements lies heavily on our shoulders," said McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh . "It's a partnership synonymous with success."
McLaren and Honda won 44 grands prix and eight world championship titles in the 1980s and 1990s.
Honda's decision to return under the new 1.6 turbo rules is expected to further underline the firm's growing commitment to developing high-performance turbocharged engines for its road cars in the future. It already campaigns a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine in the World Touring Car Championship.
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I would have expected McLaren
I would have expected McLaren to use their 'own' engines from 2014 onwards. It must sound disappointing for potential buyers of a P1 or a 12C that McLaren is capable to build road engines but not race engines...
(not that the 12c/P1 engine is really built by mclaren, but at least it has their name on the cam covers)
Naming issues
Interesting that the team is going to be named "McLaren Honda". The current team is "Vodafone McLaren Mercedes".
Obviously the engine manufacturer bit is going to change, but there have been rumours for a while that Vodafone were planning to jump ship - whether to Ferrari, as the rumours suggest - but Santander might not like that - or to Infiniti Red Bull (they don't need the money with their title sponser), who can say.
Vodafone might - MIGHT - stay if McLaren ditch Sergio Perez, but he's likely to get the TelMex money unless Guttierez seriously ups his game. </p>
1.6 Turbo Civic type R it is
1.6 Turbo Civic type R it is then.
Bring in the KERS.