The F1 paddock last weekend was awash last weekend with stories regarding Honda engines going to everyone’s favourite underdog team, Sauber. Surely they are in the running for a subsidised supply of new Honda Powertrains?
Some of the more radical stories even had the Japanese manufacturer dropping McLaren and taking their engines, and their European headquarters, and decamping to the Swiss Alps, to the town of Hinwil to be specific.
All of these rumours had fuel added to them when it emerged that there may well have been contact between Woking and Brackley to sound out the German manufacturer’s ability (and, I would guess, desire) to supply McLaren with their M08 EQ Power+ 1.6 L turbo-charged engines.
So, could any of these farfetched rumours be true? Well this writer certainly thinks so and as they say in the classics, rarely is there ever any smoke without fire…
But it would now appear that if Honda are indeed considering a move, it’s certainly doesn’t involve mulling over their 2018 season’s designs drinking glühwein around the fondue pot while the snow settles on the ground.
"No,” said Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn speaking to Racer. "We have engaged [in] no such talks for this season. We have our engine supply and we are going to be there. No, we would not [be interested in such talks]. Our situation is clear and we don't need to change it because others have problems."
Honda F1 boss Yusuke Hasegawa also denied the reports to media on Saturday saying that these were just rumours, and nothing more
"The rumours is just a rumour,” he stated. "Obviously after the winter test we are having a strong pressure from the team and from the drivers. We try to keep improving."
He was backed up by McLaren racing director Eric Boullier who also seemed to want to put the idea of any kind of formal approach by McLaren to Mercedes out of the frame as well, and that this too was merely a rumour.
"Rumours are rumours, and I guess our performance, and especially during our testing sessions, have created such rumours," Boullier said. "No, there is no such [approach to Mercedes for engines].
“Testing was obviously not very good, and obviously still today we can see that our pace is not good enough,” he continued. “But we are just working together. We are with Honda; we have to cover all options, that's it. All I can tell you is… nothing else, actually."
In light of these all-round denials, I suppose that should be the end of the story but one thing that hasn’t been asked or discussed is what if Honda themselves, fearing defeat, are considering packing their kit and high tailing it to Japan to lick their wounds? Perhaps not leaving the sport (even if they have previous form in this regard) but rather to go back to the drawing board and get it right for 2018. So where would that leave Zak Brown and the now de-ronified McLaren MCL32?
Well, if this scenario materialised there could well be a third way; an MCL32 with a power-unit supplied by Brackley, paid for by Honda and branded Acura..?
Farfetched?
Maybe, but stranger things have happened in F1. So, as they also say in the classics, watch this space!
