Brace yourself for the sound of Honda’s all-new 1.6-litre direct injection turbocharged V6 engine which will power the McLaren F1 team in 2015. The recording was made as the joint McLaren Honda team fired up the engine for the very first time.
Honda were motivated to return to F1 by the new 2014 regulations, which stipulate a 1.6-litre engine with energy recovery systems. This makes it more of an engine formula, which has been core to Honda’s participation in the past.
SEE ALSO: Sound-off: Mercedes AMG’s 2014 V6 turbo F1 engine vs Honda’s V10.
“It’s exciting to hear the cry of our new born Formula One engine for the first time,” said Manabu Nishimae, President of Honda Motor Europe.
“Our engineers are working hard to develop the engine and we are all looking forward to the start of the 2015 season.”
Left: Jenson Button’s Hungarian GP winning Honda RA106. Right: Honda 006 and RA271 photographed for Honda’s 40th anniversary of F1 racing in 2004.
Honda will be in charge of the development, manufacture and supply of the power unit, including the engine and energy recovery system, while McLaren will be in responsible of the development and manufacture of the chassis, as well as the management of the new team, McLaren Honda.
Despite the partnership between both companies, Honda’s new engine will be available to other teams, although none have yet been announced.
McLaren already provide all a standard regulated ECU to all F1 teams, and despite the close ties of this partnership, several other teams are likely to join the program, although like McLaren will need to use an alternate engine supplier in 2014.
Honda believes that participating in F1 under these new regulations will boost its progress in the development of energy management technologies such as hybrid systems.
Honda’s European racing operation will be based in Milton Keynes from 2014.
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