Club Arnage

Being touted that McLaren have a well advanced design for a LMP car, powered by Honda that will soon be unveiled.

Fact or fiction, who knows but it's a nice idea and you never know, cannot see it myself, but I doubted Webber would ever return to le man's.

If it happened would it lead to Ferrari also pushing ahead, dreams dreams...

We can but hope...

Well, McLaren are having problems building a decent F1 car these days so I would be surprised if they were developing an LMP1 car at the same time. But then an LMP1 development program sucking up resources might be the cause of the F1 problems....

Time will tell...

Interesting rumour. Next year is also the 20th anniversary of the McLaren victory at Le Mans so that would tie in nicely.

Would be a nice re-union, especially considering their tie up in F1

Also - is it coincidental that Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) is dropping the Green Flag at the start....................five years after Luca Di M did it !?!

A customer Honda P1 engine already has been shown, intended for the stillborn HDP I would guess, with the possibility of a hybrid add on.
 
http://www.racetechmag.com/latest-news/sports-cars/item/551-new-honda-lmp1-engine-revealed.html

I would think that HDP would be the in the frame rather than McLaren to make a Honda LMP P1 if it was ever to be made.

It's a nice fantasy, but the cost of doing both F1, and a LMP project?  Someone with some very deep pockets is going to be needed.
Fax

HONDA = deep pockets  ;D

and HONDA does not like failure

Nah, I just don't see it, at least for a long time.  Getting the F1 programme back up & running is going to be a colossal effort, and I'm not expecting McLaren-Honda magic right from the start.  Its going to take time to gel.
Fax

It would be big ask, especially as Honda finds it's feet back into F1 to have two new projects on the go at the same time, but Williams managed it with BMW.

Honda has a pretty big Motorsport presence already so understands the costs and possibilities of racing as well as the pitfalls

It would also be up against its natural domestic rivals, maybe to much of a temptation and it would new ground, top flight prototype racing.

My head says no way, but it would be great if it did happen.

I think Honda are happy to have a customer LMP1 motor, as its based on the Indianapolis engine.  But they have no takers, unlike Nissan in P2.  If its gone according to plan, a hybrid system should be available soon.  Aren't these limited to works cars ???

Honda are unlikely to do both LM and F1 from the same (scarce) budget, as they expect to win, so would focus the money on one project, and I think they're happier as an engine supplier, as it worked in the past with Williams, but the full F1 team was an embarrassment, so they gave up a year too early.  That must still hurt

Honda and McLaren will have been working together for the best part of three years by the time a McLaren F1 car with a Honda engine turns a wheel.  The partnership will be well established by that point.  

I've also long believed that WEC offers a cunning workaround for a ban on testing in F1, now that the technologies are more closely aligned - there simply MUST be an opportunity to develop engine components and theories in a real racing environment, without restrictions, and arguably in a more demanding environment, which can then be applied to the F1 engines and cars - even if it's just real world testing instead of dynamo/wind tunnel, and even if the application of the learnings takes a year (until homologation is released).

I can see this having legs for McLaren, but I can see it having more legs for Ferrari - especially if there's a budget cap introduced - afterall - they need somewhere to launder the money from the road car business :)
 

BZ, you of course make some valid points regarding F1, and the restrictions on development.  I suppose my take on it was that of McLaren as a builder, and competitor.  I could see absolutely McLaren building the cars, and a outside contractor overseeing the racing. As in the William-BMW association (didn't Williams build the cars but Schnitzer run the show?).
And Lorry brings up a great point, the Honda Indycar engine would be perfect for endurance racing, as was the Porsche Indycar engine of the early eighties that became the backbone of the 936/81, 956, 962 series.
Fax