McLaren and Honda, former partners turned frenemies, are reportedly talking about an engine supply deal for 2026, although the discussions are allegedly in "an extremely early phase".
According to a report from The Race, both McLaren and Honda are letting bygones be bygones and are sounding out a potential tie-up at the inception of Formula 1's new power unit regulations in three years' time.
McLaren and Honda were a match made in heaven in the late 80s and early 90s, with the partnership between the two companies leading in 1988 to the all-conquering McLaren-Honda MP4/4 driven by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost winning 15 of the season's 16 Grands Prix!
In 2013, a quarter of a century later, at the instigation of McLaren chairman Ron Dennis, the pair inked a multi-year deal that started in 2015, the second year of the V6 turbo-hybrid era in F1.
At the time, Honda's return to the pinnacle of motorsport with the team with which it had enjoyed such a successful spell back in the day held many promises.
But the Japanese manufacturer never succeeded in fulfilling McLaren's expectations in its attempts to supply a powerful and reliable hybrid power unit that conformed with its customers stringent specifications.
The partnership's first two seasons were perceived as a work in progress, but Honda's persistent inability to make progress despite fundamental changes to its hardware inexorably led to McLaren's decision to throw in the towel and to cut its losses.
McLaren's pain was Red Bull's gain however, with sister outfit Toro Rosso taking over McLaren's engine supply deal and continuing the development of Honda's unit, which eventually saw the light of day.
At the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen delivered to Honda its first win of the hybrid era. Many more would follow for the Japanese manufacturer as well as two world titles with Red Bull.
The FIA recently confirmed Honda as one of six engine suppliers that have registered to produce a next-generation engine for F1. However, contrary to Ferrari, Mercedes, Alpine, Red Bull Powertrains and Audi, Honda is the only manufacturer without a partner for 2026.
Read also:
- Honda signs up for F1's 2026 engine cycle, but has no team
- Red Bull and Honda separated by 'clear Chinese wall' – Horner
It will continue to work with Red Bull Powertrains until the end of 2025, but thereafter Red Bull will produce its own power hardware, with input from future branding partner Ford.
Five years on from their acrimonious split, McLaren and Honda are both in very different places, although the latter still needs to take another step to become a genuine contender for the world championship.
It's also likely that both McLaren and Honda are currently just weighing their options for 2026 and sounding out each other's frame of mind as they responsibly manage their future.
Interestingly, The Race has also revealed that McLaren boss Zak Brown has visited Red Bull Powertrains. But so far, Christian Horner has given no indication that RBPT-Ford would be interested in supplying a third team at the outset in 2026.
A tie-up Between McLaren and Audi also comes to mind given the manufacture's investment in its F1 partner Sauber, now managed by former McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl.
But perhaps the most likely outcome of McLaren's various talks would be for team papaya to remain affiliated with its current partner Mercedes.
"We’re very happy with Mercedes," said Brown at the end of last year. "I’m a believer that you can win a world championship with a customer engine.
"There’s obviously benefits to being a works team with the advanced knowledge that you get.
"We have a long-term contract with Mercedes, very happy with the collaboration, and aren’t really spending too much time yet thinking about 2026 and beyond."
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