Sauber to swap Ferrari engines for Honda in 2018

SOCHI, Russia (AP) Sauber will use Honda engines next year instead of its current Ferrari power units.

The deal means Honda will supply two Formula One teams, offering more opportunities to test its engines.

That could help alleviate power and reliability problems which have plagued Honda's relationship with the McLaren team since 2015.

It's the first major shakeup for Sauber since it was bought by the Longbow Finance company last year. Formula One's sole Swiss-based team has used customer Ferrari engines since 2010.

Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn says in a statement that ''we very much look forward to our partnership with Honda, which sets the course for a successful future.''

Both Sauber and McLaren are yet to score any points so far this season.