Photos appeared last week of a modified 2014 McLaren Formula One car that will be testing the new 2015 Honda F1 engine at Silverstone. Now we have video. That's a nicer sound than the current V6 turbo engines, isn't it?
Honda is returning to Formula One as an engine supplier next year, putting all kinds of things in the air. Will it provide a worthy rival to the Mercedes power unit, or will it become another also-ran with Ferrari and Renault?
Honda's power unit is another V6 turbo with energy recovery systems for both braking force as well as exhaust heat. Now we know what it will sound like, provided a last-minute switch to V8 power doesn't happen.
The entry of Honda into the mix has also been a point of contention for Renault and Ferrari and the teams who run the slower engines. Those teams want more items to be "un-freezed" (read: open for changes) to allow them to catch up to the Mercedes-powered cars. Mercedes, predictably, is against un-freezing more items on the engine design.
The engine freeze was put in place to control costs, but clearly, that hasn't worked and has only prevented engine suppliers and teams from making necessary changes to keep up with the Mercedes-powered cars. Racing has been a little stagnant this year as a result.
Honda enters with a completely open design for 2015, which many speculators say could provide a needed shake-up to the field.