damager21 wrote:hemichromis wrote:Rumor:
Honda has been approached by several teams and is - along with Ron Dennis - in discussion about providing another team with a PU next year?!
Could be Torro Rosso given that they will continue to get a year old engine from Ferrari. The other teams could be Sauber and Force India, if Honda was to offer them engine at a lower price
Both Sauber and Toro Rosso have been in contact, Toro Rosso are being made to pay a reported €28m for this years supply of a year old engine, where last year Manor paid €10m less than that for their supply. Sauber are at the end of their 3 year deal this year, and are looking for a reduction on their €20m fee for their supply, but their fee is supplemented by Ferrari being able to use the Sauber wind tunnel for verification figures for their tunnel. But Sauber also pay €10m for their gearbox supply as well from Ferrari, so Sauber pay Ferrari €30m in total.
Id say both would be good candidates, Sauber are looking for a contractor to design and build their simulator, with that in mind, if Sauber/Honda/McLaren can come to an arrangement for a Honda Power Unit, a McLaren Gearbox and rear suspension supply and a McLaren Applied Technologies Simulation Suite for €30m a year (€17m PU/€6m Rear End/€7m Simulator) they would be in for a killer deal. It could be also supplemented with Honda supplying a Honda Junior driver for FP1 sessions for 14 races a year, and the McLaren Simulator would take 2 years to pay off as it costs €21m if a building and such needs built, but if its internal to the factory (they have space) it would cost €14m if they don't need a fitness suite built in as well.
As for Toro Rosso, I think there's a more interesting thing going to happen here, Honda will supply them with a PU, and they will run the Red Bull rear end, however I think Ron will make sure that Honda take a driver with them, as I think Danny K is away to Renault to replace Palmer next year, and Max will take a step up, leaving Vandoorne to take the second STR seat to prepair him for Alonso or Buttons retirement in 2018.
If McLaren and Honda get another team or even two, the Honda development will increase and the Honda PU will finally make the ground it should have been making on the other 3 PUs in F1.