13/07/2017
NEWS STORY
With McLaren fast approaching the deadline by which time the Woking team will decide whether to continue with Honda or not - though some say the decision is already made - there is doubt also regarding Sauber's deal with the Japanese engine manufacturer for a supply in 2018, now that Monisha Kaltenborn has left the Swiss outfit.
It's understood that the Honda deal with Sauber was the work of Kaltenborn, and following her departure, the Japanese manufacturer is uncertain whether it wants to go ahead with the deal, with the Swiss outfit feeling pretty much the same way.
It comes as no surprise therefore to learn that with both partnerships up in the air, Honda has set itself an October deadline at which point it will decide whether to remain in F1 or quit, the deadline coming - surprise, surprise - around the same time that McLaren and Fernando Alonso are due to reach decisions on their futures.
Honda's decision, according to Auto Motor und Sport will be based on the success (or not) of the latest upgrade with which the Japanese manufacturer expects an increase of around 35 to 40 horsepower. If performance and reliability doesn't come up to expectations, and the first part of the upgrade had mixed results when introduced in Austria last week, Honda will walk.
All of which would leave two teams looking for engines, though, unlike Red Bull, neither has threatened to quit.
Auto Motor und Sport claims that neither Mercedes or Ferrari wants to supply McLaren, which would leave the Woking team looking to Renault, while Sauber would probably remain a Ferrari customer.
That said, it is understood the Swiss outfit is seeking an engine deal whereby the cost would be part off-set by running the supplier's chosen driver, in Mercedes' case Pascal Wehrlein, Antonio Giovinazzi or Charles Leclerc for Ferrari or even Nobuharu Matsushita were Honda yet to agree a deal.
Check out our Thursday gallery from Silverstone, here.