Honda has said that it is staying in Formula 1 for 2018 and will still be in partnership with McLaren next season according to Masashi Yamamoto.
McLaren-Honda partnership to continue in 2018 according to Masashi Yamamoto
This follows a lot of speculation regarding the engine supplier’s future in the sport, with a divorce between McLaren and Honda reportedly being on the cards because of the uncompetitive nature of the power units that the Japanese car giant has supplied McLaren with since 2015.
There have also been rumours regarding Honda’s engine deal with Sauber for 2018, and that the deal may have fallen through, leading to suggestions that Honda could be out of F1 entirely.
Masashi Yamamoto denied this however when speaking to Sportiva: “I am always talking with president Takahiro Hachigo and the board members, and there is no intention to withdraw from formula one.”
Yamamoto didn’t deny that talks are occurring between McLaren and Honda: “There is a contract between us and the premise of the talks with them is to continue,” he said. “We exclude the possibility that McLaren will even temporarily use the power unit of another manufacturer. As for Sauber, we had very good negotiations with Monisha Kaltenborn and were moving in the right direction, but the new leadership changed course and now we are negotiating.”
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