Honda's return to Formula 1 has been a rumor since last season. Now the company will announce its return to the sport after 4 years of absence. A welcome news that grabs the attention from the recent tyre scandals.
The 2014 turbo engine era is knocking on our door. And with Pirelli changing tyre compounds 4 weeks from now, it will be a challenge to prepare for the upcoming season without compromising this year's development.
The bad news for the Renault-powered teams like Red Bull, Lotus, Williams and Caterham are the immense costs of the new turbo charger from the French engine manufacturer. The estimated cost of the Renault power source will be around 20 million euros, while Mercedes and Ferrari are charging 15 and 10 million euros respectively. Red Bull, which is operating on a bigger budget than Williams and Lotus might consider staying with Renault for 2014.
On the other hand, Lotus, Williams and Caterham, teams operating on a tighter budget, might switch to other power sources next year. With Honda returning as an engine supplier in 2015, that's good news for these teams, especially if Honda can undercut Renault in terms of pricing.
So far only McLaren are expected to use Honda engines, as the team prepares to part from its current supplier at the end of 2014. McLaren will also change its title sponsor from Vodafone to Telmex. It's likely that the name change from VODAFONE MCLAREN MERCEDES will move on to TELMEX MCLAREN HONDA by 2015.
Honda's return will no doubt draw attention to other engine suppliers and car manufacturers. Volkswagen and Porsche have presented keen interest to enter Formula 1, but the costs were simply too high and that might change after 2014. Last year, BMW has also been tipped to make a return to the sport after their shock exit in 2009. Whether Honda's move will influence the rest remains to be seen. Nevertheless, it was finally time for some good news after the tyre scandal in recent weeks.
The 2014 turbo engine era is knocking on our door. And with Pirelli changing tyre compounds 4 weeks from now, it will be a challenge to prepare for the upcoming season without compromising this year's development.
The bad news for the Renault-powered teams like Red Bull, Lotus, Williams and Caterham are the immense costs of the new turbo charger from the French engine manufacturer. The estimated cost of the Renault power source will be around 20 million euros, while Mercedes and Ferrari are charging 15 and 10 million euros respectively. Red Bull, which is operating on a bigger budget than Williams and Lotus might consider staying with Renault for 2014.
On the other hand, Lotus, Williams and Caterham, teams operating on a tighter budget, might switch to other power sources next year. With Honda returning as an engine supplier in 2015, that's good news for these teams, especially if Honda can undercut Renault in terms of pricing.
So far only McLaren are expected to use Honda engines, as the team prepares to part from its current supplier at the end of 2014. McLaren will also change its title sponsor from Vodafone to Telmex. It's likely that the name change from VODAFONE MCLAREN MERCEDES will move on to TELMEX MCLAREN HONDA by 2015.
Honda's return will no doubt draw attention to other engine suppliers and car manufacturers. Volkswagen and Porsche have presented keen interest to enter Formula 1, but the costs were simply too high and that might change after 2014. Last year, BMW has also been tipped to make a return to the sport after their shock exit in 2009. Whether Honda's move will influence the rest remains to be seen. Nevertheless, it was finally time for some good news after the tyre scandal in recent weeks.
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