McLaren Mercedes
Honda motorsport chief Yasuhisa Arai says that the Japanese engine supplier will match runaway 2014 leaders Mercedes as they target debuting their power unit at the first 2015 test at Jerez.
Honda will return to the sport after a seven year absence and will act as engine supplier to McLaren, re-forming a partnership which was highly successful in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
"We are absolutely within our development plan," Arai told the Official F1 Website.
"Our engine - or more precisely our power unit - is ready for a whole system check, but without the chassis. It will still need more time to bring the power unit and chassis together and then be able to run checks with the complete car.
"In the next couple of weeks we will run simulations and at the beginning of next year we will start to run on the track - very likely at Jerez. That will very likely be the first time to show the whole car, the Honda engine and the McLaren chassis - the Honda McLaren.
"I have confidence that we will match Mercedes."
Arai says that Honda is open to supplying more than one team in the future and is anticipating a close battle between the four suppliers next season.
"In 2015 we don't have the plan to supply any team other than McLaren," he said.
"In 2016 or after, if some teams or partners ask us to supply them too, we will take a look at that situation. But even in 2016 McLaren will be our main partner in F1. And even if we supply other teams from 2016 onwards our main focus will always be to win - to make the engine better through more data - and not necessarily to look at a return on investment. If you win that comes automatically.
"We want to raise the awareness of our brand and I trust - I am a firm believer - that we will win races next year. And that will send out a very positive signal for our brand on a global basis. I think that the two other engine suppliers will recover next season - I strongly believe that. And we will be there too."
