McLaren is focused on its immediate future in F1, meaning this year's campaign, but company CEO Zak Brown says the team is also "slowly" starting to review its engine options for 2026.
In three years, Formula 1 will usher in new power unit regulations that will retain the current V6, 1.6-litre turbo hybrid format, but should significantly reduce the cost of hardware.
The rules will also place a greater emphasis on electric power while the Internal Combustion Unit will run on 100% sustainable fuel.
So far, six manufacturers - Mercedes, Ferrari, Alpine, Honda and future new suppliers Red Bull Ford and Audi - have registered with the FIA as F1 power unit manufacturers.
While Audi will partner with Sauber in which it has invested, Honda is without a team for 2026. But the Japanese manufacturer has reportedly held early talks with… McLaren!
The Woking-based outfit prematurely terminated its collaboration with Honda at the end of 2017 after a catastrophic three-year relationship between the two parties.
Speaking after Monday's launch of his team's new MCL60, Brown admitted that McLaren has started to contemplate its engine options for 2026, although he steered clear from offering any insight on a possible reunion with Honda.
"We’re very happy with Mercedes," Brown said. "We have some time to decide what we want to do in 2026 and beyond.
"I think it’s exciting for Formula 1 to have this many manufacturers coming into the sport. I think it shows the growth and excitement for the sport."
Brown said that McLaren was currently in no rush to decide its future engine supplier, but that himself and team boss Andrea Stella had put the top on their agenda.
"It’s certainly something Andrea and I are in the process of slowly reviewing; we’re not in a big rush and we are very happy with Mercedes, so we’ll see how things play out in the next year or so before we make a decision."
As far as Honda goes, the Japanese manufacturer will continue to supply Red Bull Powertrains with its units until the end of 2025.
But until that term is reached, and given Red Bull's future partnership with Ford, strict protocols have been implemented between the two partners that govern their collaboration.
"There's no crossover of intellectual property, all the Honda engines are produced in Japan and everything on the RB Powertrains side is very much focused on 2026," explained Horner.
"So there is a clear Chinese wall between the two activities, but we're obviously going to be working with Honda over the next few years to achieve the best results that we can.
"They are fully committed, so it is very straightforward, and the relationship with Honda conclude at the end of 2025."
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