According to reports in Autosport, the Honda Racing Team is planning to introduce their 2007 spec engine at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix in order to get a head start on their rivals.

The new engine rules see all development come to a halt at the end of the current season, so the thinking behind this move is that they will be able to use the last four events of the season to fine tune the powerplant they want to use next year.

"We have decided we are going to bring in the 2007-spec engine at Monza. The reason is that we have finished the two-race cycle here and we will start the new one in Italy, culminating in China where we have to submit the engine for homologation,” Honda’s Shuhei Nakamoto was quoted as saying by the British publication. "There have been lots of discussions and plan changing since Hungary and this is one of the results."

Jenson Button will put the new engine to the test in Monza this week where they are hoping it will be a definite step forward, giving them the edge over their rivals in the 2007 season. However, they will need to alter their current chassis to some degree to accommodate the new powerplant.