Manor F1 soon powered by Honda?
The second Honda customer in F1 could be called Manor. The Japanese engine manufacturer is in discussions with the Russian team for a partnership in 2016.
In the grip of serious financial difficulties, Manor F1 must make do this season with a Ferrari V6 engine from last year. The small Russian team even recently admitted that it might decide never to release its 2015 car, in order to focus its limited resources on the coming year.
A technical decision could weigh in on this dilemma. Indeed, Honda might make Manor its next client in Formula 1. The Japanese engine manufacturer has not hidden its intentions to equip a second team in order to accumulate data and could also take advantage of the debts Manor still owes to McLaren (approximately 10 million euros) to negotiate from a strong position. McLaren-Honda might even agree to pay a part of Manor’s engine supply. For now, neither Manor nor Honda has chosen to deny these rumors stemming from consistent sources.
On the sidelines of the Canadian Grand Prix, Yasuhisa Arai, head of automotive competition at Honda, reiterated his interest in powering a second team: « We are learning a lot with McLaren: our cooperation is very fruitful, and with regard to development, we don’t need another team. (…) I would be very pleased if a new team called me saying ‘We want to use your engine’. I would be very happy ».
Manor F1 could thus ensure its survival by becoming a sort of B team for McLaren-Honda. The Woking team is still considering placing one of its two young champions, Kevin Magnussen or Stoffel Vandoorne, there in 2016.
