The Circuit

Turn 1: The first corner – Sainte Devote – is very tight and has been the scene of many incidents over the years. The drivers need to keep their wits about them to avoid any drama.

Turns 4 + 5: The bumpy track between turns four and five [Casino / Mirabeau] requires drivers to modify their line to avoid unduly unsettling their car.

Turn 6: As the slowest corner on the circuit – and indeed the entire season – suspension and steering modifications must be made to the car just to make it through this turn.

Turn 9: Taken flat out, the tunnel is the fastest part of the track. The contrast of natural, artificial, then natural light is a big challenge for the drivers. Track temperature is also different from the rest of the circuit.

Turn 10: Exiting the tunnel into the chicane is the scene of many out-braking manoeuvres. This is a real opportunity to pressurise the car ahead, but also a place where mistakes are often seen.

Turn 14: The Swimming Pool – 'La Piscine' – is entered very quickly, before hard braking for turn fifteen.

Turn 18: Turn eighteen – La Rascasse – is the second slowest part of the circuit, with the cars running very close to the inside wall.

Start / Finish Straight: With so few overtaking opportunities around the lap, a good exit from the final corner – Anthony Noghes – is essential leading on to the start / finish straight. There are high traction demands here.

The Car

Front Wing: Front downforce is key. Teams tend to run maximum front wing with more balance to the front thanks to the understeer inducing characteristics of the circuit.

Rear Wing: We will have a Monaco-specific 'big' rear wing to gain more downforce at the lower overall speeds seen here.

Ferrari have ridiculed critics of the tyres in Formula 1 in what amounts to a veiled attack on champions Red Bull.

Red Bull said tyre strategy meant F1 was "not racing anymore"

and the number of pit stops in the Spanish Grand Prix made it "confusing for the fans".

Ferrari's satirical 'Horse Whisperer' column said these were "difficult times for those with poor memories".

It mentioned Red Bull wins featuring the same number of stops Ferrari's Fernando Alonso made

in his Spain win.

Alonso made four pit stops on his way to victory at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, exactly the same number as Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel made in finishing fourth.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Spanish Grand Prix Highlights

Vettel also made four stops on his way to victory at the same track in 2011, when Red Bull did not make an issue of tyre strategy.

Alonso's victory meant he closed his deficit to championship leader Vettel after five races to 17 points, despite crashing out of the Malaysian race in March and finishing only eighth in Bahrain.

Red Bull have been lobbying tyre supplier Pirelli to make more durable tyres, feeling the need look after the rubber is preventing them unleashing the full potential of their car.

The Italian company

announced this week that it would change the tyres

from next month's Canadian Grand Prix "in the interests of the sport".

It said it recognised that four stops was too many and it would try to ensure there were between two and three at each race for the rest of the season.

The Horse Whisperer said: "Maybe it's because of the huge amount of information available today that people are too quick to talk, forgetting things that happened pretty much in the recent past.

"Or maybe the brain cells that control memory only operate selectively, depending on the results achieved on track by their owners.

"A classic example of this is the current saga regarding the number of pit stops. Voices have been raised to underline the fact that various teams, some of whom got to the podium and others who were quite a way off, made four pit stops in the recent Spanish Grand Prix, making the race hard to follow.

"It's a shame that these worthy souls kept quiet two years ago when, at the very same Catalunya Circuit and on the Istanbul track, five of the six drivers who got to those two podiums made exactly the same number of pit stops as did Alonso and (Ferrari's second driver) Massa last Sunday in the Spanish Grand Prix.

Spanish GP 2013 - how many stops?

1. Alonso (Ferrari) 4

2. Raikkonen (Lotus) 3

3. Massa (Ferrari) 4

4. Vettel (Red Bull) 4

5. Webber (Red Bull) 4

6. Rosberg (Mercedes) 3

"In fact, there's nothing new about winning a race making so many pit stops, even discounting those where it was down to changeable weather.

"One only has to look back to 2004, when Michael Schumacher won the French Grand Prix thanks to what was a three-stop strategy, later changed to a four stopper.

"That was the key which allowed the multiple champion's F2004 to get ahead of the then Renault driver, Fernando Alonso, who made three stops. And on that day and we remember it well, our strategy and the tyre supplier were showered with praise for allowing us to get the most out of the car.

"Today however, it seems one must almost feel ashamed for choosing a strategy that, as always for that matter, is aimed at getting the most out of the package one has available.

"On top of that, if this choice emerges right from the Friday, because all the simulations are unanimous in selecting it, then why on earth should one feel embarrassed when compared to those who have gone for a different choice, only to regret it during the race itself."

Ferrari's remarks come a day after Lotus team principal Eric Boullier expressed his frustration at Pirelli's decision.

• Guide to the tyres in Formula 1

The Frenchman, whose driver Kimi Raikkonen is four points behind Vettel in the championship, said: "There aren't many sports where there are such fundamental changes to an essential ingredient part-way through a season.

"Just imagine for a moment that, because a football team can't run as fast as its opponent, the dimensions of the pitch are changed at half time.

"That there are changes to come can be seen as somewhat frustrating, and I hope they are not too extreme. It's clear that Pirelli have found themselves in a difficult situation and under pressure from different quarters."

Pirelli has yet to reveal in what way it plans to change the tyres, beyond saying it wants to try to prevent the dramatic delamination failures that have happened to several drivers in the last two races.

This time last year Williams had just won the Spanish Grand Prix. But 12 months is a long time in Formula One racing and last weekend in Barcelona the team suffered the ignominy of both drivers getting knocked out of qualifying in Q1. Deputy team principal Claire Williams may have been in the post less than two months, but her F1 experience far exceeds that of many of her peers and - as she explained exclusively to Formula1.com - she is determined to haul the squad back into the big time…

Q: Claire, how are you getting along with your new role as deputy team principal?
Claire Williams: I love my new job. I am so lucky. I’ve been saying that now for quite some time, but it is really true. To be part of this world is so special. There are so few team principals in F1 - and to be part of that is amazing. There is a lot to learn and there is a lot of responsibility, as we as a team are facing a lot of challenges, but I just can’t wait to get on and hopefully make an impression and improve the team and help drive us forward. That is what I want to do.

Q: You have been your father’s apprentice for many years: what is the most crucial thing that you’ve learned from him?
CW: To work hard. Everyone knows the effort that Frank has put into making this team what it is. He has struggled, he has fought and he has sacrificed so many things in his life to achieve this dream. Great things don’t happen unless you put in real effort - and he taught me that nothing comes easy unless you are willing to fight and sacrifice, and then one day you will be rewarded for your hard work.

Q: Frank is also known for his strong opinions and his outspokenness. Sometimes that has run completely against the trend and made his life even more difficult. Has he told you to go more with the flow?
CW: No, he hasn’t ever commented on that. But Frank always had to protect his team and I will definitely follow his footsteps to see what is best in the interests of the team. Maybe you could say that different times require different tactics, but the aim is always the same.

Q: Presumably after the deputy team principal role you will one day become team principal? Was that always part of your plan? What were your dreams for your life?
CW: I went to an all-girl catholic boarding school, so I spent most of my time praying that I wasn’t going to have a calling to become a nun. It didn’t happen, but from my upbringing - in the world I grew up in - it was more usual for women to just marry and have children. That was really the expectation and I never thought that one day I would start working in the world of Formula One - and eventually one day run the team.

Q: What exactly is the scope of your duties? You’ve previously been head of communications, then head of marketing. What is it now that occupies your thoughts?
CW: My role still covers all of that. I’m still doing the commercial side of the business, seeing to get the money in so that the team can go on racing. Basically the sponsorship side - but then, of course, anything else that you would expect any other team principal in the paddock to do. I am working very closely with our technical director Mike Coughlin to ensure that the technical side has everything that they need in order to do the best job that they can. And then, of course, the governance side of the sport - positioning the team with the FIA, FOM and FOTA.

Q: How much of a technical understanding do you bring to the table?
CW: I am learning. It is tough because it is a new language. But it is fascinating - and I am lucky because I have grown up in this sport, so I have absorbed a lot of things, never knowing that I would need them one day. (laughs) I go into the aero meetings now, I join the race strategy meeting now and I find all that fascinating. The guys doing these jobs are so intelligent and so clever. I will probably never be able to communicate with them about these issues at the same level, but to be part of it and inhale more information every time is incredible.

Q: Is it you who is sitting at the team principals’ meetings for Williams?
CW: It depends. If Frank is at the race track then he will go. If he is not then I attend for him. So it all depends if Frank is around or not.

Q: Your joining the team principals’ meetings doubles the number of female participants - you and Sauber’s Monisha Kaltenborn. Is it easier now for you?
CW: To be honest, as Formula One has always been a part of my life I have become so desensitized to that male-female cliche that I have never thought about it. I am working in a very male-dominated industry, so you don’t think about such things. I represent my team and it doesn’t make any difference to me that there is another woman in the room.

Q: Your former executive director Toto Wolff - now at Mercedes - was expected to run the team. How much of a void has his departure created?
CW: One moment: Toto wasn’t ever tipped to run the team - that wasn’t the plan. We had a gap to fill, and Toto being an executive director, he was part of the team, so it was natural that he was taking up that role. It was never the plan that he would then step into Frank’s shoes when Frank left. I worked with Toto a lot last year and I learned a lot from him and it was lovely to have him around. He is still a shareholder and it would be great if he wanted to stay a shareholder, but I think he has other responsibilities.

Q: Technically the team is going through rough waters again. Why is that, after 2012 looked like a real renaissance?
CW: It really hurts. Losing is so painful. We haven’t had the start into the season that we had hoped. We thought that we ‘d made some progress last year and we are really now evaluating what we have done over the winter that made us step back, because we are not going to step forward if we don’t fully understand what went wrong. Otherwise it would just be putting a plaster on a problem.

Q: Your rookie Valtteri Bottas: what can you say about him so far?
CW: He is so great. Cool and calm. He is a typical Finn.

Q: Frank was always known to prefer a certain type of driver - a real racer who has all eyes on the track and not distracted by the politics. Is Valtteri his man?
CW: Yes, he is. I think we definitely have a future world champion at hand - but of course we have to give him the car to allow him to prove his talent. He has done a good job so far. He has finished every race, made up positions with great overtaking manoeuvres, and is giving strong feedback to the engineers in order to improve the car.

Q: Like the team, Pastor Maldonado no doubt expected more of the 2013 season. He has expressed some concerns about the development speed. Do you have concerns about him?
CW: I think it would be totally wrong to say that we are not happy with him. We are a team and we work very hard in proving that. We win and lose together. Of course Pastor is not too happy with the car we are giving him, but relationship, the bond, is very strong - actually with both our drivers. It is a good atmosphere in the team and there’s a strong drive to solve our problems together and Pastor wants to be a part of the solution. Of course Pastor has expectations. He has tasted winning and of course wants more of it. I think it must be frustrating to see your peers winning and not having the equipment to demonstrate your talents. Pastor knows that we are fighting and that one day we will give him the car that he wants.

Q: For some of the teams, Barcelona - the start of the European campaign - was considered the real start into the 2013 season. How was it for Williams?
CW: Well, when we found out what the problem with the car is after Malaysia we knew that it wasn’t going to be fixed quickly. So we didn’t have the expectation that once we start the Europe campaign it would be the start of a new beginning. We still have a long road ahead of us to get back into regularly qualifying in Q3 and regularly scoring points.

Q: So when will you overcome your issues?
CW: Right now we are in the fixing process - but it’s not a quick fix, the problem that we have. Time frame? I couldn’t tell you and I think it is dangerous to play with expectations. We’ve got work to do as we know where the problem is.

Q: What criteria will you have in your ‘rookie’ season as deputy team principal to judge whether it was a good year?
CW: The budget is always the most important thing - securing more revenue than I did last year. That is really important to me - getting as much money in for the team as I possibly can. The more money you have the better your race car can be, in effect. Secondly, making sure politically that the team is in the best position. And thirdly - and probably most importantly - results. Being at the top of the grid and fighting for world championships. I’m not going to give up until we’re back again.

For tickets and travel to 2013 FORMULA 1 races, click here.
For FORMULA 1 and F1 team merchandise, click here.

Q:
There's been a lot of talk about tyres and now it's been announced that there are changes to come; how does this sit with the team?

Eric Boullier:
There aren't many sports where there are such fundamental changes to an essential ingredient part-way through a season. Just imagine for a moment that, because a football team can't run as fast as its opponent, the dimensions of the pitch are changed at half time! That there are changes to come can be seen as somewhat frustrating, and I hope they are not too extreme. It's clear that Pirelli have found themselves in a difficult situation and under pressure from different quarters. Last year, when we were designing our 2013 car, each team received information from Pirelli and everyone did the best job they could to develop a chassis which would make best use of the tyre characteristics. We even ran with some experimental 2013 tyres at the end of last season, to assist us in confirming our development paths.

As with every season, some teams do a better job than others with their designs, and some drivers are more adaptable than others to the changes of both car and tyre. It is frustrating when you've developed a car from a set of tyre specifications which are available to everyone – for tyres that are the same for everyone – to then be told that they are being changed mid-season. That said, we have a team of talented designers and engineers who will be working twice as hard to ensure we adapt to these changes in the most competitive manner.

Q:
Last year the team celebrated its 500th Grand Prix in Monaco; how would you rate the first races of the second 500?

Eric Boullier:
Since Monaco last year we've had twelve podium finishes including two wins – in Abu Dhabi last year and Australia this season – so we've been doing a pretty good job. Like everyone in motor racing, we're not entirely satisfied unless we're winning races and leading championships, so those are certainly what we're pushing for.

Q:
It was a short race for Romain in Barcelona; how do you ensure a failure like this doesn't happen again?

Eric Boullier:
It was frustrating for Romain and frustrating for the whole team. A Formula 1 car is made of so many components, and despite all the checks every once in a while a failure happens. Our technical team has taken immediate action, identified where the problem was and redesigned a new part for Monaco onwards.

Q:
For Kimi it was pretty much a perfect race again?

Eric Boullier:
It's clear that Kimi is driving very well at the moment and our car is capable of consistently delivering strong performance. There are some clear areas where we want to improve, with the car and with the team, but we have had a very strong baseline when we've visited every track so far this season; we're hopeful of the same in Monaco.

Q:
How has the team reacted to the changes to the technical department?

Eric Boullier:
We have a very strong technical department made of many people. It's an illustration of the strength of talent at Enstone that we were able to promote from within, and Nick Chester has been working on adopting his new role for some time now. We have plenty of upgrades to come for the E21, as well as the additional challenge of reacting to the forthcoming tyre changes. We're confident we can maintain performance and development with this year's car whilst at the same time developing an exciting car for 2014 and the new regulations.

Q:
What's the team's outlook right now?

Eric Boullier:
It's good that we're consistent, but we're greedy and want more wins. We are hungry for more points and we want to keep being in the battle at every race.

Ferrari have ridiculed critics of the tyres in Formula 1 in what amounts to a veiled attack on champions Red Bull.

Red Bull said tyre strategy meant F1 was "not racing anymore"

and the number of pit stops in the Spanish Grand Prix made it "confusing for the fans".

Ferrari's satirical 'Horse Whisperer' column said these were "difficult times for those with poor memories".

It mentioned Red Bull wins featuring the same number of stops Ferrari's Fernando Alonso made

in his Spain win.

Alonso made four pit stops on his way to victory at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, exactly the same number as Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel made in finishing fourth.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Spanish Grand Prix Highlights

Vettel also made four stops on his way to victory at the same track in 2011, when Red Bull did not make an issue of tyre strategy.

Alonso's victory meant he closed his deficit to championship leader Vettel after five races to 17 points, despite crashing out of the Malaysian race in March and finishing only eighth in Bahrain.

Red Bull have been lobbying tyre supplier Pirelli to make more durable tyres, feeling the need look after the rubber is preventing them unleashing the full potential of their car.

The Italian company

announced this week that it would change the tyres

from next month's Canadian Grand Prix "in the interests of the sport".

It said it recognised that four stops was too many and it would try to ensure there were between two and three at each race for the rest of the season.

The Horse Whisperer said: "Maybe it's because of the huge amount of information available today that people are too quick to talk, forgetting things that happened pretty much in the recent past.

"Or maybe the brain cells that control memory only operate selectively, depending on the results achieved on track by their owners.

"A classic example of this is the current saga regarding the number of pit stops. Voices have been raised to underline the fact that various teams, some of whom got to the podium and others who were quite a way off, made four pit stops in the recent Spanish Grand Prix, making the race hard to follow.

"It's a shame that these worthy souls kept quiet two years ago when, at the very same Catalunya Circuit and on the Istanbul track, five of the six drivers who got to those two podiums made exactly the same number of pit stops as did Alonso and (Ferrari's second driver) Massa last Sunday in the Spanish Grand Prix.

Spanish GP 2013 - how many stops?

1. Alonso (Ferrari) 4

2. Raikkonen (Lotus) 3

3. Massa (Ferrari) 4

4. Vettel (Red Bull) 4

5. Webber (Red Bull) 4

6. Rosberg (Mercedes) 3

"In fact, there's nothing new about winning a race making so many pit stops, even discounting those where it was down to changeable weather.

"One only has to look back to 2004, when Michael Schumacher won the French Grand Prix thanks to what was a three-stop strategy, later changed to a four stopper.

"That was the key which allowed the multiple champion's F2004 to get ahead of the then Renault driver, Fernando Alonso, who made three stops. And on that day and we remember it well, our strategy and the tyre supplier were showered with praise for allowing us to get the most out of the car.

"Today however, it seems one must almost feel ashamed for choosing a strategy that, as always for that matter, is aimed at getting the most out of the package one has available.

"On top of that, if this choice emerges right from the Friday, because all the simulations are unanimous in selecting it, then why on earth should one feel embarrassed when compared to those who have gone for a different choice, only to regret it during the race itself."

Ferrari's remarks come a day after Lotus team principal Eric Boullier expressed his frustration at Pirelli's decision.

• Guide to the tyres in Formula 1

The Frenchman, whose driver Kimi Raikkonen is four points behind Vettel in the championship, said: "There aren't many sports where there are such fundamental changes to an essential ingredient part-way through a season.

"Just imagine for a moment that, because a football team can't run as fast as its opponent, the dimensions of the pitch are changed at half time.

"That there are changes to come can be seen as somewhat frustrating, and I hope they are not too extreme. It's clear that Pirelli have found themselves in a difficult situation and under pressure from different quarters."

Pirelli has yet to reveal in what way it plans to change the tyres, beyond saying it wants to try to prevent the dramatic delamination failures that have happened to several drivers in the last two races.

McLaren have confirmed a multi-year technology partnership with Honda, reviving one of the most famous technical associations in Formula One history.

From the start of 2015, McLaren's cars will be powered by Honda engines and energy recovery systems, renewing a relationship between the two companies that won four drivers’ championships, four constructors’ championships and 44 Grands Prix between 1988 and 1992.

Honda has not competed in Formula One racing since the end of 2008, but the switch to a new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine formula in 2014 has encouraged the Japanese firm to return to the sport.

“Ever since its establishment, Honda has been a company which grows by taking on challenges in racing,” commented Takanobu Ito, President and CEO of Honda Motor Company.

“Honda has a long history of advancing our technologies and nurturing our people by participating in the world’s most prestigious automobile racing series.

“The new F1 regulations with their significant environmental focus will inspire even greater development of our own advanced technologies and this is central to our participation in F1.”

Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren’s team principal and Group CEO, hailed the significance of the deal.

“It’s fantastic news for everyone who loves Formula One to be able to welcome Honda back. Together, we’re about to embark on a new and extremely exciting chapter in McLaren’s history. Like McLaren, Honda is a company with motor racing woven into the fabric of its heritage.”

“We’re proud and thrilled to be joining forces once more to take on the world in Formula One. Whilst both companies are fully aware that we’re embarking on a very demanding journey together, we’re hugely committed to the success of the partnership, and we'll spend the next 18 months working together to ensure that we’re fully established and competitive ahead of our first Grand Prix together in 2015.”

Honda will develop its engines at its research and development facility in Tochigi, Japan, where it has already begun development of its all-new 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 Formula One engine.

“Honda has built a reputation as a worldwide engineering giant, but its roots, its specialism and its passion lie in the advancement of the internal combustion engine,” said Whitmarsh.

“Throughout its history, Honda has pioneered engine technology in road cars, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles. Indeed, its experience as a manufacturer of turbocharged engines is unequalled by any other car manufacturer currently competing in Formula One.”

McLaren’s current drivers, Jenson Button and Sergio Perez, both expressed their excitement about the new partnership.

“I first raced a Formula One car powered by a Honda engine in 2003, and I was a works Honda Formula One driver between 2006 and ’08, winning my first Grand Prix in Hungary in 2006 in a Honda Formula One car, so I know exactly how passionate Honda is about motorsport, and Formula One in particular,” said Button.

Perez was equally effusive: “I was born in 1990 - the year Ayrton Senna won the second of his three world championships driving for McLaren-Honda - and I’ve grown up always knowing just how much that era lives on in the hearts and minds of motorsport fans around the world.

“Of course, Ayrton is my hero, as he’s a hero to many millions of people living in Central America and South America. So today’s announcement not only rekindles all the fantastic memories of that successful era, but it also starts a new age - which can be even more exciting.”

Honda’s agreement to supply McLaren with engines from 2015 onwards will bring to an end the Woking-based team’s long association with their current engine provider, Mercedes. Whitmarsh paid tribute to the German manufacturer, with whom the team has had a relationship since 1995.

“It’s appropriate to recognise that until the end of 2014 we’ll maintain a full commitment to our existing and long-standing partner, Mercedes-Benz, for which we retain the utmost respect and with whom we intend to continue to work diligently and professionally.

“McLaren-Mercedes has so far won an incredible 78 Grands Prix and four world championships. We aim to cap our long-standing partnership with the same ambition and resolve with which we began it: namely, to keep winning.”

For tickets and travel to 2013 FORMULA 1 races, click here.
For FORMULA 1 and F1 team merchandise, click here.

McLaren is hoping that Jenson Button will ride out its current malaise and be an integral part of the line-up once its returns to Honda power in 2015.

Both the Briton and team-mate Sergio Perez were effusive in their praise for Honda when McLaren formally confirmed its reunion with the Japanese marque on Thursday [16 May], but neither driver is contracted far enough into the future to be a guaranteed part of the new-look programme when it kicks off in 2015.

Despite Perez being seen as a key component of McLaren's future thanks to his sponsorship links – especially at a time when the Woking team is facing the loss of title backer Vodafone – it is veteran Button who is seen as the bedrock on which the Honda partnership can be built.

The 2009 world champion is a former Honda driver, having spent a large part of his career racing for Honda-powered teams in both BAR and the factory squad that replaced it, and is revered in Japan, thanks in part to both his F1 history and the fact that girl friend Jessica hails from the part of the world.

With his current deal set to expire at the end of 2014, however, there will be much negotiating to be done before Button can be sure of wearing the iconic 'H' logo on his overalls, but McLaren MD Jonathan Neale is optimistic that the Briton – who has suggested that he will see out his career at Woking – will be a part of the squad long-term.

"Jenson will drive here for as long as he wants to drive here," he said of the 33-year old, "He's a great guy and he's doing a really good job for us in some difficult times. He fits our value and our culture here really well."

Button is currently tenth in the F1 world championship standings, with his team-mate just a place further back, after McLaren's MP4-28 proved to be a disappointing successor to last year's race-winning car.

By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

McLaren say their newly announced

engine partnership with Honda

will not affect their ability to win the world title with Mercedes next year.

Honda will supply engines to McLaren from 2015, meaning the first year of

new engine rules

will be McLaren's last of a 20-year link-up with Mercedes.

"Mercedes will give us the information we need," McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale said.

"Mercedes engineers and ourselves have been working very closely together."

Mercedes have made it clear that their own works team will have advantages over their customers because they will have fed into the design of the engine and guided it in a direction they feel is most suitable for their car.

But Neale insisted McLaren and Mercedes would still be a major force in 2014.

"We need each other to be successful. We are great partners and have won many races together, we recognise our inter-dependence and while we're hugely competitive on the circuit, there is a hugely high regard behind the scenes between the two organisations."

Neale said Mercedes should have no concerns that information about their technology would be passed to Honda.

"I have to stress here, our relationship with Mercedes-Benz is very good and spans two decades," he said. "We are very careful about protecting our partners' interests and property.

F1's new 2014 engine

Engine:

1.6-litre, V6s, with single turbo. Engines can rev to 15,000rpm, five power units per season per driver (each engine does 4,000km). 15% fewer moving parts

Turbo:

Size unlimited, maximum revs 125,000rpm

Energy recovery (Ers) system:

161bhp for 33.3 seconds a lap

Fuel limit:

No more than 100kg (about 140 litres) of fuel in a race; max fuel-flow rate of 100kg per hour. This is a 30% increase in fuel efficiency

Thermal efficiency:

40% (target)

"We have given undertakings to Mercedes and they are being respectful about giving us all the information we need but not giving us more information than we need to get the job done and that's understandable. There will be no poaching or dismantling of parts."

McLaren have no drivers under contract for 2015, but Neale made it clear that Jenson Button would be one of the team's drivers at the start of the Honda relationship if he wanted to stay.

"Jenson will drive here as long as he wants to drive here," Neale said. "He is a great guy and he's doing a really good job in some difficult times for us at the moment.

"He fits our value and our culture here really well. His comment to the workforce this morning was more a question of hoping he is still here in 2015. He's excited by the prospects as well."

McLaren have confirmed a multi-year technology partnership with Honda, reviving one of the most famous technical associations in Formula One history.

From the start of 2015, McLaren's cars will be powered by Honda engines and energy recovery systems, renewing a relationship between the two companies that won four drivers’ championships, four constructors’ championships and 44 Grands Prix between 1988 and 1992.

Honda has not competed in Formula One racing since the end of 2008, but the switch to a new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine formula in 2014 has encouraged the Japanese firm to return to the sport.

“Ever since its establishment, Honda has been a company which grows by taking on challenges in racing,” commented Takanobu Ito, President and CEO of Honda Motor Company.

“Honda has a long history of advancing our technologies and nurturing our people by participating in the world’s most prestigious automobile racing series.

“The new F1 regulations with their significant environmental focus will inspire even greater development of our own advanced technologies and this is central to our participation in F1.”

Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren’s team principal and Group CEO, hailed the significance of the deal.

“It’s fantastic news for everyone who loves Formula One to be able to welcome Honda back. Together, we’re about to embark on a new and extremely exciting chapter in McLaren’s history. Like McLaren, Honda is a company with motor racing woven into the fabric of its heritage.”

“We’re proud and thrilled to be joining forces once more to take on the world in Formula One. Whilst both companies are fully aware that we’re embarking on a very demanding journey together, we’re hugely committed to the success of the partnership, and we'll spend the next 18 months working together to ensure that we’re fully established and competitive ahead of our first Grand Prix together in 2015.”

Honda will develop its engines at its research and development facility in Tochigi, Japan, where it has already begun development of its all-new 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 Formula One engine.

“Honda has built a reputation as a worldwide engineering giant, but its roots, its specialism and its passion lie in the advancement of the internal combustion engine,” said Whitmarsh.

“Throughout its history, Honda has pioneered engine technology in road cars, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles. Indeed, its experience as a manufacturer of turbocharged engines is unequalled by any other car manufacturer currently competing in Formula One.”

McLaren’s current drivers, Jenson Button and Sergio Perez, both expressed their excitement about the new partnership.

“I first raced a Formula One car powered by a Honda engine in 2003, and I was a works Honda Formula One driver between 2006 and ’08, winning my first Grand Prix in Hungary in 2006 in a Honda Formula One car, so I know exactly how passionate Honda is about motorsport, and Formula One in particular,” said Button.

Perez was equally effusive: “I was born in 1990 - the year Ayrton Senna won the second of his three world championships driving for McLaren-Honda - and I’ve grown up always knowing just how much that era lives on in the hearts and minds of motorsport fans around the world.

“Of course, Ayrton is my hero, as he’s a hero to many millions of people living in Central America and South America. So today’s announcement not only rekindles all the fantastic memories of that successful era, but it also starts a new age - which can be even more exciting.”

Honda’s agreement to supply McLaren with engines from 2015 onwards will bring to an end the Woking-based team’s long association with their current engine provider, Mercedes. Whitmarsh paid tribute to the German manufacturer, with whom the team has had a relationship since 1995.

“It’s appropriate to recognise that until the end of 2014 we’ll maintain a full commitment to our existing and long-standing partner, Mercedes-Benz, for which we retain the utmost respect and with whom we intend to continue to work diligently and professionally.

“McLaren-Mercedes has so far won an incredible 78 Grands Prix and four world championships. We aim to cap our long-standing partnership with the same ambition and resolve with which we began it: namely, to keep winning.”

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Jenson Button has said that he is 'thrilled' by the news that he could be racing a car with Honda power from the 2015 F1 season.

Although his 2009 world championship came in a car designed by the Honda F1 team, it was powered by a Mercedes engine following the Japanese marque's decision to abruptly abandon its grand prix programme at the end of 2008. Prior to that, however, Button enjoyed several notable landmarks with the brand, which has confirmed that it will be McLaren's new engine partner from 2015.

“I first raced an F1 car powered by a Honda engine in 2003, and I was a works Honda F1 driver between 2006 and '08, winning my first grand prix in Hungary in 2006 in a Honda F1 car, so I know exactly how passionate Honda is about motorsport - and F1 in particular,” the Briton noted.

“Equally, I grew up watching McLaren-Honda F1 cars racing - and winning - around the world. They wrote their own glorious chapter of F1 history and, even now, picturing those unmistakable red-and-white cars evokes vivid memories of some of the most dramatic and exciting motor racing the world has ever seen.”

Although he is struggling to get the current McLaren among the point-scorers, and knows that he has one more year of driving Mercedes-powered cars before the Honda deal takes effect, Button is excited by the prospect of the Japanese giant bringing its experience and innovation to bear.

“McLaren-Honda: I know how much passion, success and pride are encapsulated within just those two words,” he claimed, “And that's why I'm so thrilled and excited about what's not only a fantastic opportunity for the team, but also a great development for F1 fans and the sport as a whole.

“The challenge set by F1's new technical regulations provides Honda with the perfect opportunity to return to the pinnacle of motorsport. Honda is one of the most experienced and accomplished builders of turbocharged engines anywhere in the world. It has always treated F1 as a platform for world-beating technical innovation, and will surely relish the opportunity once again to showcase on a global sporting stage its engine technicians' unparalleled engineering prowess.”