Sauber may opt for Honda in 2018

Sauber-Ferrari, a partnership that dates back to 2010, but which has shown some tensions recently, prompting the Sauber team to work on securing a new engine partner. While there were rumors of changes last year, it is a 2016 Ferrari engine that powers the Swiss car this year, which gives the drivers a major disadvantage.

Discussions have been underway with Honda for some time now, but an agreement is reportedly close for the supply of an engine in 2018, which has been facilitated by several changes. Originally, the McLaren-Honda partnership had to jointly agree to supply another team, but the regulations were modified: the FIA is now able to require the engine manufacturer with the fewest clients to supply a team that needs an engine. Honda, which was hesitant about the idea, especially in light of its performance and reliability issues seen with McLaren, stated that the Japanese team would supply Sauber if asked, as it is their duty in Formula 1.

During the previous year, the engine manufacturer expanded its factory in Milton Keynes to have the space to supply a second team, and Sauber, frustrated with the situation with Ferrari, was the first team to show interest in the Japanese engine. This would allow the continuation of Sauber’s reconstruction plan, initiated last year with the arrival of new investors who secured the team’s future.

At McLaren, race director Eric Boullier believes that a partnership between Honda and Sauber would be beneficial for his team, allowing the Japanese engine to accumulate more mileage and resolve its issues more quickly. *I think that the more teams use this engine, the more mileage it will accumulate, the better it will be.*

However, this agreement must not divert Honda’s attention away from McLaren: « This will divert resources from our partnership. But no matter what happens, we are partners. We will support the supply of a second team, but we must ensure that this does not affect our partnership. »

An announcement about a Sauber-Honda partnership is expected in the coming days, as engine manufacturers must provide the list of teams they will supply in 2018 before May 6, 2017. A contract with Sauber would mark the first year since 2008 where Honda supplies more than one team.