Mercedes: McLaren shares information with Honda

The executive director of the Mercedes team, Toto Wolff, told our German colleagues from Auto Motor und Sport that he was convinced that McLaren was exchanging data with Honda. Indeed, next season, after nearly twenty years of partnership, McLaren and Mercedes will part ways, and the Stuttgart engine manufacturer will be replaced by the Japanese firm.

As part of this last season of collaboration, questions may have arisen about the knowledge that the Woking team may have passed on to Honda regarding the Mercedes hybrid V6 turbo. When asked, Eric Boullier, McLaren’s racing director, responded “Nothing!”

A response that Toto Wolff does not believe: « I am convinced that what McLaren learns is exchanged with Honda within the context of what is allowed.

Thus, for him, merely reading the telemetry would allow the Japanese company, present in the paddocks, to evaluate a certain number of information such as torque or traction: « And also what is necessary for cooling, hydraulics, electronics… all these things are, obviously, transmitted, » specifies the Austrian.

Despite this, he trusts McLaren not to violate the clauses of the agreement contained in the engine sales contract: « We have a very clear understanding of what can be disclosed and what cannot be, but I am confident that they understand the partnership and confidentiality they appreciate today as a customer. »

Finally, he highlights the fact that the late arrival of the Japanese manufacturer will be to their disadvantage concerning V6 technology: « Honda has a natural disadvantage because they come when everyone else has already been there for a year ».

Honda will exclusively equip the McLaren team for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, as explained by a representative of the engine manufacturer during the Chinese Grand Prix.