It’s now official, Honda will stop supplying engines to McLaren from the 2018 Formula One World Championship. Instead, the Japanese marque has announced a new deal to deliver power units to Scuderia Toro Rosso beginning from next year.
“Toro Rosso is an experienced team with a youthful energy and history of nurturing the stars of the future. Everyone at Honda is looking forward to working with Toro Rosso, and we are excited to start this new chapter in our Formula 1 journey with them,” said Takahiro Hachigo, president and representative director of Honda.
“Everyone in our team is very much looking forward to working with Honda. Ever since its founder Soichiro Honda entered his motorcycles in events, racing has always been a central part of the company’s ethos. It’s a very exciting challenge and I hope that both parties will gain a great deal from it as we develop together,” added Franz Tost, team principal of Scuderia Toro Rosso.
The announcement was one of several during the ongoing Singapore Grand Prix, with Renault revealing it will take Honda’s place as McLaren’s engine supplier from the 2018 season. This is the first time both brands have ever collaborated, and the deal will carry on into the 2019 and 2020 seasons as well.
Currently, Renault power units are being used in cars fielded by Toro Rosso as well as the French brand’s own works team – Renault Sport Racing. The latter also revealed it has acquired the services of Carlos Sainz Jr. for 2018, who will vacate his seat in Toro Rosso.
“This is a strategic decision for Renault Sport Racing. It is the first time that Renault will work with McLaren and we are proud to have reached an agreement with an organisation that has such a rich Formula 1 history,” said Jérôme Stoll, president of Renault Sport Racing.
“Renault is a manufacturer that, like McLaren, has Formula 1 deeply woven into its DNA. It introduced the concept of turbo-charging to modern F1 back in 1977, has won Grands Prix with and without turbo power, and has been a consistent pioneer and developer of new technologies in Formula 1,” noted Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, executive chairman and executive committee principal of McLaren Group.
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………..omg!!!! Im thrilled!!! McL cant risk a 4th year of total disaster with Honda! Renoo power is 3rd fastest now and will give them regular 14 points a race next season if Fer and Stof and the car can run reliably. Cant wait for next year, I have a feeling McL/Renault could be the team to beat! #:)
Are you serious? Renault’s engines are the second most unreliable, only slightly better than Honda. You know, there’s a reason Red Bull has been trying to ditch Renault since the past two years.
Okay, maybe and this is a big maybe that Renault can be competitive next year but Mercedes and Ferrari aren’t exactly going to sit still and just let their edge slip away. The best outcome for next year, unfortunately, is Mclaren move up from dead last to the middle of the pack.
Bravo TanChong Renault !
Meanwhile RB is ditching Renault as well. So another opening for engine. Me thinks RB will swap with sauber or force india.
As for McLaren-Renault, its sooner rather than later french will terminate this deal when McLaren starts lapping their own factory team.
not really….i think aston martin will provide RB with v12 twin turbo maybe….bcause aston martin car ( especially valkarie) use v12 engine only
What will happen is by mid next year, honda will pull ahead of renault in power.. bad timing always happens to alonso
Alonso won F1 championship by Renault engine
alonso won the championship because of 2 main reasons:- no tyre change allowed during the race (during which time Michelin was superior to Bridgestone) and
2. you have to start the race with whatever balance left in the fuel tank after qualifying. Meaning, you may be top 3 position at the grid but you may need to stop early for fuel.
hello F1, racing is all about strategies and you do not simply block teams from planning race strategies.
Read elsewhere that Singapore has extended FI to 2021, if true than Malaysia was blindsided.
Not really. SG race was hinged on whether MY is continuing or not. Since MY pulled out, chances for SG continue is higher but theres still the matter of continuously making big losses…
Malaysia loses everything
Still here breathing
Dont compare Malaysian brain and Singapore brain. Singapore is far sighted. And they know how to do business.
Here why it could not do business because everything also need duit kopi. So costs double end of the day
why, Honda Vtec engine didn’t kick in, yo??
Just like their road cars (ahem, Civic 1.5 VTEC Turbo please stand up), the VTEC badging is misleading because their turbo engines doesn’t have any variable cam timing.
Renault EDC more power
no enough rpm
I tot honda’s engine are super reliable while renault’s are not reliable, high maintenance & no RV ; )
Thats what them basher cavemen wants u to think.
Apparently, not in the F1 for the past three years. No team want to touch the crappy Honda engine. You can bet Honda is paying Toro Rosso / Red Bull huge amount of money just to stay in F1 for another year. Toro Rosso is RBR’s team B, so they can afford to ‘experiment’ with Honda.
Only no knowledge think about like that. Is F1 racing, performance 1st
Bro, u think they take a Civic engine and put in the F1 car? LOL
@John you are looking at a loss-making event but does not consider that SG may have decided on the viability of the event quite differently e.g tourism dollar and whether malaysia is continuing. Maybe that are the reasons why poor India have also reactivated F1 which was stopped 5-6 years earlier. Hopefully MY looked at it in totality.
Renault is a sui kwan eurp engine
They made a mistake…shld have chosen proton…than they can win…very sohai..
Honda must proof McL made a wrong decision. They must make sure TR will be a consistent top 10 finisher and maybe a few podiums next year.
Else McL can justify their engine swap was the right decision.
actually, Honda did that some 10 yrs ago when British American Tobacco Racing pulled out of Formula 1. Honda was left alone but the last minute Ross Brawn stepped in. Together, Brawn team with Honda and Jensen Button went to become F1 champion the following season (2009)