Sauber has confirmed this morning it will be supplied engines by Honda for next season and beyond as part of a new technical partnership.
The Swiss team, who are celebrating its 25th anniversary in the sport this season, will be making the switch to Honda from Ferrari as the Japanese manufacturer seeks to improve its competitiveness.
Alongside the announcement of Sauber, Honda Communication Officer Katsuhide Moriyama confirmed this would be ‘In addition to the partnership with McLaren’, which dispels rumours that McLaren could be seeking a supply of Mercedes engines next season. Honda will also strengthen its base in Milton Keynes and operation in Japan to accommodate supplying two teams.
“It is a great honor for the Sauber F1 Team to be able to work together with Honda in the coming seasons.” Sauber CEO and Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn confirmed.
“Our realignment is not just visible through the new ownership but also now with our new technological partnership with Honda. We have set another milestone with this new engine era, which we await with huge excitement and of course we are looking for new opportunities.
“We very much look forward to our partnership with Honda, which sets the course for a successful future – from a strategic as well as from a technological perspective. We thank Honda for making this great partnership happen.”
Since Honda returned to Formula 1 in 2015 they have struggled against Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault in building a reliable and competitive engine. McLaren as its only partner have in turn suffered, failing to score a point so far this season.
After splitting from BMW in 2009, Sauber had returned to Ferrari for its engine supply as a customer team. Following a period of financial difficulty, the team are running last year’s engine which could see its performance slide at the end of the season as existing engines are developed.
