Photo: Oliver Turvey on Twitter
The British Formula 1 team has officially taken its partnership with Honda to full throttle with the MP4-29H. What you can see in the photograph above is exactly what you think it is – an MP4-29 Formula 1 single seater with its Mercedes-AMG hybrid power unit swapped for a brand new Honda mill.
With testing tooking place at the legendary Silverstone circuit in the United Kingdom, Mclaren's 2015 Formula 1 car was driven by test driver Oliver Turvey for a limited distance and with demonstration tires. Despite these factors, the Woking-based motorsport outfit managed to demonstrate the new Honda power unit, with packaging and integration and everything else.
That's no small feat for a hybrid propulsion system that's still in development, moreover when you consider Honda stopped making turbocharged Formula 1 engines in 1988. If you're into the king of motorsports, you might have remembered that's the same year one Ayrton Senna was signed by McLaren, the same year Senna won his first drivers' championship and McLaren-Honda won the constructors' championship.
We can hardly contain our excitement to see Honda back in the game after it exited at the end of the 2008 F1 season. In other McLaren-related news, it's still a mystery if Jenson Button, Kevin Magnussen or maybe both will have to leave to make place for Ferrari man Fernando Alonso and an unconfirmed second driver.
That's no small feat for a hybrid propulsion system that's still in development, moreover when you consider Honda stopped making turbocharged Formula 1 engines in 1988. If you're into the king of motorsports, you might have remembered that's the same year one Ayrton Senna was signed by McLaren, the same year Senna won his first drivers' championship and McLaren-Honda won the constructors' championship.
Don't dare to ask about what's underneath the silverish body shell of the MP4-29H/1X1 interim car
It's certain, however, that the engine is a 1.6-liter V6 aided by turbocharging and two electric motor-generators – one to aid with spooling the turbo, the other for extra get-up-and-go at the touch of a button. With no output figures available at the moment, let's assume the all-new Honda V6 hybrid power unit is developing a lil' under the maximum 750 horsepower limit of Formula 1's current power unit regulations.We can hardly contain our excitement to see Honda back in the game after it exited at the end of the 2008 F1 season. In other McLaren-related news, it's still a mystery if Jenson Button, Kevin Magnussen or maybe both will have to leave to make place for Ferrari man Fernando Alonso and an unconfirmed second driver.
Google News