Honda has released the first image of its 2015 V6 turbocharged F1 power unit. The engine, which has been only confirmed for the McLaren F1 team is still undergoing development, but the company says it is entering a heavy period of testing, which could make it ready for a track appearance within the next month.

“Working toward Honda's F1 participation starting in the 2015 season, development of the power unit is entering its prime phase at our R&D facility in Sakura (Tochigi, Japan), where we transferred our automobile motor sports development earlier this year,” said Yasuhisa Arai, Senior Managing Officer of Honda R&D, and head of the F1 project.

“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.”

Arai confirmed that the company’s racing headquarters are in Milton Keynes are now fully operational, but gave no further details on engine specs or additional F1 team support.

“The whole team is concentrating on this development, getting ready for the forthcoming start of F1 participation in 6 months,” he said.

Stay tuned for more on this developing story.