McLaren and Honda have confirmed that they will form a multi-year Formula 1 technology partnership. From the start of the 2015 season, McLaren's Formula 1 cars will race using Honda engines and energy recovery systems, renewing an association that became one of the most successful and powerful in Formula 1 history during the 1980s and ’90s.
Stop press - Newey joins Blue Cow Productions - an independent company based at the A1 Ring making bespoke track cars.beelsebob wrote:I wonder how many teams would be willing to ship their top brains off to other companies just to allow them to do some unlimited testing.
The source is not without inside knowledge and it sounds like the most plausible explanation for the Allison mystery that I have heard so far. It would also explain McLaren's strategy to compensate for the recent loss of engineering talent to Ferrari and Mercedes. One would assume that a mule testing in Suzuka would in fact be a McLaren prototype in all but the name. It simply is a loop hole for McLaren to do some testing ahead of the 2015 season. Honda are not going to own a team so soon I would think. So why would they go to the expense of a test mule? Really only if the mule is in reality anticipating McLaren's 2015 chassis design, which obviously would be Allison's future job. His team would be an extended work bench of McLaren.Pup wrote: Turun Sanomat claims that James Allison has actually been hired by Honda. From the poor translation, it sounds like he's working for them until his gardening leave is done and then he'll join McLaren. In the meantime, he's put together a team that will build Honda a current spec car that they'll use for testing at Suzuka, since they're not bound by any testing rules.
That is a fairly plausible explanation for the lack of info on where Allison is and what he's doing.WhiteBlue wrote:The source is not without inside knowledge and it sounds like the most plausible explanation for the Allison mystery that I have heard so far. It would also explain McLaren's strategy to compensate for the recent loss of engineering talent to Ferrari and Mercedes. One would assume that a mule testing in Suzuka would in fact be a McLaren prototype in all but the name. It simply is a loop hole for McLaren to do some testing ahead of the 2015 season. Honda are not going to own a team so soon I would think. So why would they go to the expense of a test mule? Really only if the mule is in reality anticipating McLaren's 2015 chassis design, which obviously would be Allison's future job. His team would be an extended work bench of McLaren.Pup wrote: Turun Sanomat claims that James Allison has actually been hired by Honda. From the poor translation, it sounds like he's working for them until his gardening leave is done and then he'll join McLaren. In the meantime, he's put together a team that will build Honda a current spec car that they'll use for testing at Suzuka, since they're not bound by any testing rules.
I seem to have missed that. Do you have a source?Pup wrote:It would also lend a touch of support to Minardi's comment about Raikkonen going back to McLaren.
The article basically says that Lotus are having financial issues, confirmed delays by some of their suppliers and it will be hard for the team to keep RAI on board.WhiteBlue wrote:The Italian is beyond my understanding.
Amid reports he could re-emerge at Ferrari or Red Bull, it appears former Lotus technical director James Allison is actually Honda-bound.
Allison is currently on 'gardening leave', after stepping down from his duties but remaining under contract to Lotus.
In the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, correspondent Luis Vasconcelos claims his next destination is the Japanese marque Honda, who are returning to F1 in 2015 for a works engine collaboration with the great British team McLaren.
The move would appear to make sense, as Honda moves to quickly get up to speed with new rules after a five-year absence from F1, and McLaren reels from the departure to Mercedes of its highly rated technical director Paddy Lowe.
Vasconcelos said Briton Allison will apparently start his new job in 2014, long before Honda is bound by F1's regulations governing its 2015 foray.
That will mean the Japanese marque is free to run and develop its 2.4 litre V6 design throughout 2014 with a test car, and Turun Sanomat said these tests are likely to take place at the Japanese circuits Suzuka and Motegi.
Vasconcelos said: "According to our sources, Allison has accepted the offer and will lead a small group to produce a car for the testing of Honda's turbo engine."
http://www.gptoday.com/full_story/view/ ... _test_car/
Off the record (for those of you who don't know): In 1998, Honda were seriously considering a return to the sport as a constructor, and hired the respected designer Dr. Harvey Postlethwaite, out of work since the demise of Tyrrell that same year, to design a chassis. This he did, and the car, built by Italian company and former F1 constructor in their own right Dallara, tested at Jerez in the hands of Dutch driver Jos Verstappen with some success.
Of the six Dallara RA099 tubs, only four ever saw a race circuit. Currently the whereabouts of only one of those tubs is known, and it's the third one (RA099 3), last seen at the Honda collection hall at the Motegi circuit.
This is the car they tested but never raced:
This is one of the weakest denials I have ever heard. Any detail that was reported can be incorrect and would give Bishop an excuse to say the report was untrue. Honda could simply found a company for the purpose and that company would employ Allison. Later they would say technically the denial was correct. It still sounds suspicious like hell to me.McLaren spokesman Matt Bishop told us on Wednesday: “This [report] is untrue.” (GMM)
Are they contractually bound?Tobias Grüner F1 wrote: Heard rumors about Allison moving to Honda. But I also heard Honda is not allowed to test new engine in any kind of car. Only dyno.
I know they could test it in a customer LMP car because the entire power unit is eligible for LMP1 next year. The FIA or whoever couldn't prevent from using the motor in a different race class.spadeflush wrote:Are they contractually bound?Tobias Grüner F1 wrote: Heard rumors about Allison moving to Honda. But I also heard Honda is not allowed to test new engine in any kind of car. Only dyno.
Thanks, yeah I remember reading about it here. But have they signed any contract yet? The report in Turun Saromat implies they havent. So what can prevent them from running the engine in a car designed using 2014 regulations?Pierce89 wrote:I know they could test it in a customer LMP car because the entire power unit is eligible for LMP1 next year. The FIA or whoever couldn't prevent from using the motor in a different race class.spadeflush wrote:Are they contractually bound?Tobias Grüner F1 wrote: Heard rumors about Allison moving to Honda. But I also heard Honda is not allowed to test new engine in any kind of car. Only dyno.
