Honda denies F1 return rumours

Honda has now added its denial to rumours the Japanese carmaker could be looking to return to F1 by supplying a V6 engine to McLaren in 2014.

With McLaren’s Mercedes relationship reverting to mere ’customer’ status after next season, Auto Motor und Sport reported recently that Honda could fill the void by returning to F1 and rekindling its ultra-successful past link with the famous British team.

"That’s all wide of the mark," McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale said last week.

And Honda chief executive Takanobu Ito said on Wednesday: "That was a complete unfounded rumour.

"Of course we are interested but we think there are higher priorities than formula one," he told North American reporters at the Tokyo motor show.

Honda pulled its team out of F1 at the end of 2008.