McLaren has confirmed their planned switch from Renault to Mercedes engines will proceed in 2021, the BBC has confirmed.

Questions had been raised about the change after Formula 1 agreed to postpone the new technical regulations for next year until 2022, with the cars developed for this season to be used again next year.

The delay was introduced as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has seen the first seven races either postponed or cancelled, leading to a loss of revenue which could have impacted the financial health of smaller teams in particular, had the rule changes gone ahead.

Chassis development is also to be frozen, while aerodynamic and engine upgrades will be allowed.

But regulations state engine mountings must be the same for all suppliers meaning fitting the Mercedes unit into the McLaren will not be an issue and only possible packaging changes will be needed to accommodate the different design.

The confirmation also means Renault will remain the only team using their own engine in 2021.