Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

[Angel]

Sure. They are running calibrations and slowly unlocking more potential. The full potential of the new engine may not even be unlocked until the next GP. I would expect it to be faster tomorrow though.

Of course... being a new spec they have to relearn the characteristics from it before going full steam!
FP2 will be better and tomorrow will be better also. (I think... and hope!)

Of course if they choose to keep going with this PU

This is the "keep going with this PU", last GP they didn't use it on Saturday (nor Sunday)... and I continue to think Honda is starting to get it right!!
Fingers crossed once again!!

[Sayeman]

Vandoorne has joined Alonso, stating the new PU is not delivering much. It's only a small step. So maybe the 12 BHP that Honda said it would be was true? Instead of the 30 BHP that other sources claimed.

Vandoorne is just trying to hide his poor performance this season behind all this PU mess.

[HPD]

[drunkf1fan]

That isn't a speed trap or any speed reading, it's an average speed for the lap and therefore completely meaningless. In FP1 in Baku Alonso was at 201kph, Ham 205kph and Verstappen 207kph, how did that play out.

Better comparison is Canada, Alonso was p7 in FP2, average speed reading of 211.45kph vs Kimi with 215.2kph. In qualifying top speed was Wehrlein with 335kph in the speed trap, Ham with 329 and Alonso with 320kph.

FP means nothing, for 2 years Mclaren have had reason to push much harder on the engine in free practice, they are getting penalties full stop, they aren't trying to get these engines to last 5+ races and they need as much real data as they can get by pushing harder in practice. Everyone else is trying to avoid penalties and make their engines last and the engine manufacturers have enough data that running higher power in practice isn't necessary.

Lets see where Mclaren are in qualifying, if the car is better, great, but I sincerely doubt they'll be 7th, or even top 10 and that average speed in the classification will be meaningless regardless.

[PhillipM]

They weren't even in the top 10 for speedtrap figures in FP2 when I was watching halfway through.

[McL-H]

They weren't even in the top 10 for speedtrap figures in FP2 when I was watching halfway through.

But what do you expect from worst engine? Yes, it's an improvement, but you can't expect them to suddenly jump all Mercedes and Ferrari cars.

[PlatinumZealot]

At the end of the day it's lap time that matters.

[HPD]

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Hasegawa-san, the spec 3 engine was tested in Baku two weeks ago and it's being used on both car this weekend, can you tell us what you have seen from it so far?

Yusuke HASEGAWA: First of all, we are happy that we had no issues today, so the car is running no problem, so it is very good. It is very early to say the car performance with just the Friday practice running but so far it looks nice.

Q: Fernando is eighth this afternoon, Stoffel Vandoorne is 12th, there must be improvements; can you give us any insight as to where this power unit is a step forward?

YH: I believe so, but of course car performance is not just coming from the PU, so the chassis is also updated and it also depends on circuit characteristics but yeah, from the data point of view the engine also contributed to some of the lap time improvement so we are very happy about that.

Q: Are you telling us not to read too much into this spec 3 engine or can we now say that Honda are now on the right path with power unit development?

YH: I want to tell so, but still it is too early, but definitely are closing up some gap to the front runner but it is not huge enough to catch up the top runner level so still we need to try more.

Q: And just a quick word about Sauber: you announced in Russia the collaboration going forward in 2018. How is that going? How much progress are you making? Have you had engineers in Hinwil looking towards next year's car?

YH: Yes, of course we have started discussion but obviously we cannot disclose about the actual detailed situation but I can tell you that we have started collaboration already.

Q: Eric, just to look again if we may at the spec 3 engine. Can you tell us what the drivers have been telling you about it today?

Eric BOULLIER: It's just an evolution of the engine. Clearly there is more performance coming out of the engine, so we can go faster, we have better power and better use of the engine.

Q: So just to clarify, there is performance coming out of the engine?

EB: Yes, this engine is a performance step compared with the other engines we were using before.

Q: First points of the season for the team in Baku, do you feel that things are starting to come together now for McLaren, do you feel that the team and Honda are making progress together?

EB: So obviously it's already a three-year project. It started from very far from where we would like to be. A little bit of a setback at the beginning of this season but I think we can see now we are back on the right path of activity to get back to the front, where we want to be.

Q: Hasegawa-san can we just get your thoughts on future engine regulations and how you felt the meeting went last week?

YH: Yeah, as Toto mentioned, the meeting was very constructive, so we were discussing about the direction of what we should change. From the car manufacturer point of view, the Formula One power unit should be attractive, with a high level of technology but at the same time it shouldn't be at a high cost and too much complication should be removed. So in that area we almost agreed about that, just we need to find out the exact solution for that.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Kate Walker – Motorsport.com) Hasegawa-san, from the inside, the fact that you are working with Sauber next year, you continue your relationship with McLaren, it looks to me like you have a long-standing commitment to the sport, but obviously there are lots of stories that say otherwise. Could you please just tell me about your long-term plans and show the extent to which you are committed to Formula One?

YH: Yeah, so obviously we are struggling this season. We are frustrated and we make Eric frustrated but that won't be a reason to pull out from this society so Honda is committing to this stick to this activity very much and we will try everything to recover this situation.

Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) Gentlemen, all three of you are here, so I can't avoid the question. Eric, I read a comment you supposedly made in Baku about that it would maybe an alternative for McLaren just to temporarily switch to another engine manufacturer while Honda sorts it out. Do you think it's a realistic alternative? Hasegawa-san would Honda be open to a solution like that and Toto would Mercedes be open to solution like that?

EB: I think we have a common answer – no. To the comment – out of context. When I was asked they were asking about a discussion, Hasegawa-san… and Honda are the engine McLaren have and obviously when you say there are three options, somebody pick up one, so, no.

YH: Of course it is not our option, so we don't want to do that.

TW: If it's not their option, it's not my option either.

Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Hasegawa-san, you said almost when you answered the question by the moderators, that you are almost aligned with what Toto had said. So where aren't you aligned? Is it on the technology side, the cost side, where does the difference lie?

YH: As I mentioned, we haven't discussed the details, so something like standardizing parts. Maybe it is a good idea to reduce costs but we didn't fix which parts should be standardised, something like that. Almost we are agreed but we confirm exactly.

Q: (Livio Orrichio – GloboEsporte) You said it is not an option for you but it can be an option for the new owners of McLaren. The society who is owner of the team has a great change recently. The group McLaren is known by this efficiency and Formula One is a business card of the group and it's not a good image they are passing. Maybe they think about changing the power unit supplier. Are you prepared for that? Do you have a Plan B, considering what you said about Honda having a long future in Formula One?

YH: Of course we are not prepared for that and we want to keep this collaboration and at this moment there is no other story. Of course this is their option, but we are not considering that option. That is my answer. You should ask Eric about that.

Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Question for Hasegawa-san and also Eric, on team principals. Hasegawa-san, you did your negotiations with Monisha at Sauber – could you perhaps give us some of your thoughts about the fact she's no longer there. You did all your negotiations with her: would it affect relations between Honda and Sauber and have you met the new management that are in there. And Eric, just a quick follow up, now that Ron and McLaren have reached an agreement and there's a new structure coming into McLaren, are there any plans to appoint a proper team principle like the other teams or is that something that's planned for the future or not planned for the future?

YH: First of all, I appreciated Monisha's start in our collaboration – but this is Sauber and Honda's collaboration so I don't think there is any effect that Monisha has gone and I cannot make any comment about the inside of the Sauber organisation.

Q: (Petr Hlawiczka – F1News . cz) It's pleasing to see Honda making progress. I would like to ask you how confident are you that you can half the gap to Mercedes until the end of the season. Or is it possible to make even bigger progress, considering what you have in the pipeline?

YH: Of course we try to catch-up them – but at this stage it is very difficult to have confidence about that. We will try our best for that. That is the only thing I can tell now.

Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Mr Hasegawa, I would love to know if, in the future, it will be possible to see a team 100 per cent Honda? And if it depends on the power unit, the work that you are doing on that?

YH: So far we have an idea to get, to have a team – but of course for the future, so that nothing, anything has happened in Formula One. We have an idea, at all.

Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Hasegawa-san, everybody talks about the McLaren-Honda partnership of the '80s – but they don't actually talk about the Williams-Honda partnership of the '80s. Have you had any discussions whatsoever with Williams recently about a future engine supply?

YH: With Williams? No, not at all. Of course. No. Never.

[drunkf1fan]

They weren't even in the top 10 for speedtrap figures in FP2 when I was watching halfway through.

But what do you expect from worst engine? Yes, it's an improvement, but you can't expect them to suddenly jump all Mercedes and Ferrari cars.

The point being we're responding to a guy posting an image showing the average lap speed in the Honda engine thread, showing the number to be close to the cars around it. Yes, I expect them to have amongst the worst top speeds, but the guy who posted that image doesn't, he thinks they've made a massive improvement from those numbers. We were just pointing out that they haven't made that kind of step.

They also don't always have the worst speeds, Baku was absolutely all over the place. Qualifying speeds you've got Grosjean slowest in S1/s2 checks but 7th fastest across the finish line. ALonso is 15th in S1, 4th in S2 and dead last across the finish line. Weirder stillis he's 20kph off the fastest speed in S1 and only 2kph ahead of his team mate but in S2 he's 2kph off the fastest time, 20kph faster than his team mate then 3kph slower across the line than his team mate and 29kph slower than Ricciardo who was fastest across the line. Hamilton with that epic lap time was 13.3kph slower than Ricciardo across the line.

Mostly just interesting oddities to show that fastest speed at various points on the track don't really don't translate into anything. If you look at the max speeds for qualifying you couldn't easily pick out who had the best laps as a result(presuming you didn't know qualifying results obviously).

[ZakB]

Stop looking at the top speeds, it doesn't say anything if you don't know how much wing they are running.

[GhostF1]

Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Mr Hasegawa, I would love to know if, in the future, it will be possible to see a team 100 per cent Honda? And if it depends on the power unit, the work that you are doing on that?

YH: So far we have an idea to get, to have a team – but of course for the future, so that nothing, anything has happened in Formula One. We have an idea, at all.

I watched the conference and I think this was scribed poorly.
He said he cannot speak of the future, however right now there are no plans whatsoever. At all. The partnership is their main priority. But who knows down the track.

[diffuser]

Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Mr Hasegawa, I would love to know if, in the future, it will be possible to see a team 100 per cent Honda? And if it depends on the power unit, the work that you are doing on that?

YH: So far we have an idea to get, to have a team – but of course for the future, so that nothing, anything has happened in Formula One. We have an idea, at all.

I watched the conference and I think this was scribed poorly.
He said he cannot speak of the future, however right now there are no plans whatsoever. At all. The partnership is their main priority. But who knows down the track.

I'm not sure if your intention was to make it seem like the window to Merc Suppling PUs McLaren again was as wide as possible with the "But who knows down the track." comment ?

One thing to note is If there aren't plans NOW, things being as bad as they are(they have come up from rock bottom) ....What would it take to ACTUALLY put it on the table ???

[MrPotatoHead]

Those heat exchanger end tanks are sexy.

They certainly are. PWR does amazing work.

[GhostF1]

Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Mr Hasegawa, I would love to know if, in the future, it will be possible to see a team 100 per cent Honda? And if it depends on the power unit, the work that you are doing on that?

YH: So far we have an idea to get, to have a team – but of course for the future, so that nothing, anything has happened in Formula One. We have an idea, at all.

I watched the conference and I think this was scribed poorly.
He said he cannot speak of the future, however right now there are no plans whatsoever. At all. The partnership is their main priority. But who knows down the track.

I'm not sure if your intention was to make it seem like the window to Merc Suppling PUs McLaren again was as wide as possible with the "But who knows down the track." comment ?

One thing to note is If there aren't plans NOW, things being as bad as they are(they have come up from rock bottom) ....What would it take to ACTUALLY put it on the table ???

Merc PU had nothing to do with the statement. Hasegawa literally said there are no full Honda teams in the pipeline but in the future anything can happen.
He's basically saying nothing at all. He wont confirm any speculation and he won't rule out any speculation.

I just quoted this because HPD seemed to be excited by that quote with the emoji but how it was transcribed here was not how it went down in the conference. Was my main point.

[alexa]

Q: (Petr Hlawiczka – F1News . cz) It's pleasing to see Honda making progress. I would like to ask you how confident are you that you can half the gap to Mercedes until the end of the season. Or is it possible to make even bigger progress, considering what you have in the pipeline?

YH: Of course we try to catch-up them – but at this stage it is very difficult to have confidence about that. We will try our best for that. That is the only thing I can tell now.

I think he said pretty much everything with this statement.Even himself doesn't have confidence that they will make to the top.