Honda is reportedly working on a turbo engine for 2014
According to rumors revealed by a German newspaper, Honda is reportedly working on the design of a turbo engine according to the regulations that will come into effect in Formula 1 for 2014. Gilles Simon, formerly of Ferrari, is said to be involved.
While Renault has just unveiled what will be called next year its new power unit, the CEO of Renault Sport F1, Jean-Michel Jalinier, admitted that there could be increased competition among engine manufacturers in the near future due to the new regulations that will take effect in 2014: “The number of our customers is likely to decrease in the future. There are going to be many more competitors.”
According to the German newspaper *Speed Week*, Honda could well be one of the competitors Jalinier is referring to. The Japanese engine manufacturer had withdrawn from Formula 1 at the end of the 2008 season amid the financial crisis, selling all its assets to Ross Brawn for a symbolic dollar. The British engineer then won the constructors’ and drivers’ titles (with Jenson Button) the following season under his own name before making way for Mercedes in 2010.
According to *Speed Week*, it is the French engineer Gilles Simon who is reportedly working on the design of this new engine. Simon notably took part in Ferrari’s victorious era under Todt/Schumacher in the 2000s. After a stint with Pure, Craig Pollock’s aborted project, the Frenchman is said to have then moved closer to Honda.
An information that remains to be confirmed, but could open up new opportunities for the teams starting next season.
