Honda has revealed the first image of its new power unit which will be used by the McLaren Formula One team as of next season.

Honda is making a return to F1 after a seven year absence from the sport, and have signed a long-term deal with the McLaren team. Honda previously enjoyed much success in the late 1908s and early 1990s with McLaren and will be looking forward to repeating their successes together.

“Working toward Honda’s Formula 1 participation starting in the 2015 season, development of the power unit is entering its prime phase at our research and development facility in Sakura, where we transferred our automobile motor sports development earlier this year,” Yasuhisa Arai, Senior Managing Officer of Honda, said.

“In addition to conducting simulations, we have moved onto the next stage where we conduct full-fledged bench tests of the engine while connecting the turbocharger and energy recovery systems.

“In the meantime, our racing operation base in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, has become fully operational. At this time, we are unveiling an image of our power unit that is under development. The whole team is concentrating on this development, getting ready for the forthcoming start of Formula 1 participation in six months.”