McLaren Honda F1

Honda held the press conference at its headquarters on May 16.

They officially announced that they will return to F1 by supplying the engine to McLaren in the year 2015.

“McLaren Honda”, that took the world by storm from the second half of the 1980's to the first half of the 1990's, returns to F1. This was the long awaited and best news that the Japanese car lovers are looking for.

What do you think is the purpose to participating again, though it takes hundreds of millions of Yen to participate in F1?

The F1 rule was revised from the 2014 season, and it was mandatory to have a great size reduction of the engine capacity from 2400cc to 1600cc with turbocharger. The smaller capacity is supplemented with the turbocharger, and the F1 engine development is now directly linked to the environmental technology improvement starting from hybrid engine, based on the rule revision that requires improvement in fuel consumption. The rule revision can be said as the part of big chance for the F1 return for Honda.

 

Honda has introduced the hybrid vehicles like INSIGHT and FIT, and is establishing the global hybrid technology in line with Toyota. It will improve its technology by the development of new F1 engine, and hope that it will lead its rivals by one step in the environmental sphere.

The F1 participation is effective in the improvement of brand image as “Publicity advertisement expenses”. Honda has planned to expand the world sales of the fiscal year 2016 to 6 million cars, and that is 50% more compared to the fiscal year 2012. Among that, it has aimed 3 million cars as the target for the emerging nations like China, India and Southeast Asia.

However, in the new emerging nation markets the European powers starting from Volkswagen have introduced low price models, and now the situation is to lead the domestic market with one step. To create the brand image in these countries, the F1 grand prix will be the suitable promotional stage where the grand prix is conducted in China, Bahrain, and India etc. Honda rumored that it will put cars of 500,000 YEN (US$ 5,000) (Rs.3,00,000) in Indian market. If it can take the booming new emerging nation markets by the F1 participation, then the real motive is that the spending of hundreds of millions of Yen will not be painful at all.

I am freely guessing the driver for the year 2015.

“Jenson Button”

Jenson Button drove the Honda F1 in the 3^rd stage and got its unique victory.

At present we also have driver of McLaren.

He is the same British national as McLaren.

Moreover, the girl now associated with Jenson Button is a Japanese girl.

There won’t be a person who fits the F1 driver up to this extent.

Anyhow, it is thrilling to think that the Honda engine sound will be heard at the F1 again.

Let us part with and enjoy the return of Honda!

It was because that McLaren Honda won 15 out of the 16 participation in the year 1988

In the near future, I wish to write a blog post on TOYATA F1 return without fail.

Here are some of the youtube videos

Next week blog is about the robot "ASIMO" by Honda