Honda eyeing 2nd F1 team (2nd Update)
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| Yusuke Hasegawa |
Honda says it has ’no concrete plan’ to supply a second team yet in 2018, despite Sauber looking out for a potential new power unit partner.
Sauber has used Ferrari engines since 2010, but will use the 2016-specification power unit next season, in what is also the last year of its current contract. It is understood Sauber is evaluating other power unit suppliers moving forwards if it were to leave Ferrari, with Honda a possibility as the Japanese manufacturer has been expanding its Milton Keynes facility in order to have the capacity to supply a second team.
Despite the work undertaken at its UK base, Honda’s head of F1 project Yusuke Hasegawa says there has yet to be serious discussions with a second team beyond McLaren.
"We are preparing to provide multiple teams from 2018, however there is no concrete plan at the moment," Hasegawa told F1i when asked if talks with Sauber have taken place for 2018. “Should we be approached by any team, we will look into matters seriously and decide."
Honda has often stated its willingness to add a customer team alongside its McLaren deal, with new regulations having been introduced which theoretically could see a power unit supplier forced to take on an extra team which doesn’t have a deal for the following season.
Nearing the end of its second season since returning to F1, Hasegawa recently described himself as only “50% satisfied" with Honda’s progress in 2016, with regular top ten results punctuated by poor weekends such as at Suzuka.
09/26/16 (GMM) Honda has indicated it is inching towards being ready to supply more teams with engines in formula one.
Until now, McLaren has been unwilling to budge on its apparent exclusive contract with the Japanese carmaker, despite the fact there is pressure on Honda from the FIA to become a customer supplier too.
Asked if it is ready to supply a customer, Honda's Yusuke Hawegawa was quoted by the Spanish daily Marca: "Not right now, but by the end of next season we could be ready for that option."
He said there have been plenty of enquiries from other teams, but no "serious" negotiations.
It may be that Honda is keen to add a second team to its roster in order to better assess the current collaboration with McLaren.
For instance, Toro Rosso looked very competitive in Singapore, despite the fact it is currently using a year-old Ferrari.
"I have not analyzed the data," Hasegawa said, "but if it's true, then it means that the Toro Rosso chassis is very good.
"We believe that the Honda engine is a little better than the old Ferrari engine, so I guess the chassis was better adapted to the track."
The Swiss newspaper Blick said the most realistic candidate to become the second Honda team is Sauber.
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| Yusuke Hasegawa |
09/24/16 Honda has expanded its Formula 1 operation in Milton Keynes to provide the space required to supply further teams in the future, according to its chief Yusuke Hasegawa.
The Japanese manufacturer has said it is keen to take on additional teams at some point, with Red Bull last year touted as a possible partner for 2016.
Although Honda can have talks with other teams about a supply, it is believed McLaren has the right to veto if it feels any such deal is not in its interests.
Honda is currently focusing its development resources on its works deal with McLaren but work on its UK base, completed in the summer, is a sign that it has an eye on the future.
"We don't have any room to provide any resources to another team but we should be that type of manufacturer," said Hasegawa.
"We have to prepare more resources and organisation.
"Maybe at the end of next year we have to say that we are ready to prepare an engine for another team, so we will prepare the organisation.
"We've already built up the factory in Milton Keynes, a larger one. It's not huge but it is big enough.
"So if we decided to prepare a second engine for a second team we just have to hire the people, the engineers.
"We have plenty of spare desks for them!"
After a challenging return to F1 in 2015, Honda has made solid progress this term to close the gap to rivals Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault.
In July, Carlos Sainz Jr said Honda is getting very close to Toro Rosso's one-year-old spec Ferrari engine.
Hasegawa believes Honda is now "a little bit better than the old Ferrari engine" but when asked if it is still quite a way off this year's Renault and Ferrari he admitted: "Yes, I do think so".
There have been no firm requests for a Honda supply from other F1 teams, but informal conversations have taken place.
Asked if any of McLaren's rivals had expressed an interest in a Honda engine deal, Hasegawa replied: "For the longer term, yes.
"Actually everybody is asking me if there's any possibility that Honda can supply an engine, but it's just chatting.
"From a concrete business point of view, no, we don't have anything." Autosport on Eurosport