McLaren on Wednesday dismissed reports the famous British team could reunite with Honda power for F1’s new V6 engine era in 2014.<\/p>\n
After next year, the Woking based squad will start paying for its Mercedes engines.<\/p>\n
Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reported that Honda – having pulled its works team out of F1 at the end of 2008 – could fill the void for McLaren by returning to the sport and rekindling the ultra-successful past partnership.<\/p>\n
“That’s all wide of the mark,” McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale, also denying that the team has been in talks with any other carmakers, told reporters on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
“We are very happy with and enjoying our partnership with Mercedes-Benz,” he added during a teleconference, according to F1’s official website.<\/p>\n
“We aren’t quite sure where that story came from in truth.\u00a0 But I can stop the rumour and say that we are entirely focused on our Mercedes-Benz relationship.<\/p>\n
“It is a long one spanning many wins and championships and long may it continue,” added Neale, less than two weeks after Lewis Hamilton’s win last time out in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n
But with Mercedes no longer a McLaren co-owner, and indeed now with its own works team, there are fears McLaren might be a Mercedes ‘customer team’ beyond 2012.<\/p>\n
Also amid Red Bull’s ever-deepening relationship with Renault, Neale insisted: “I don’t think that’s a concern.<\/p>\n
“Of course Mercedes have their own team and it’s right and proper that a degree of focus is going in that direction.<\/p>\n
“(But) they are formidable technical partners and we enjoy that relationship.”<\/p>\n
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