Wazari wrote: ↑26 Jan 2018, 23:35
loner wrote: ↑26 Jan 2018, 23:05
GhostF1 wrote: ↑26 Jan 2018, 02:40
This quote fascinates me. That's a super confident claim, especially while they are still trying to reach a strong baseline, but I never underestimate the Japanese, especially a company as large as this with as much pressure that's in been faced with. I'm hoping for an enormous reaction! I'm very excited to see what Honda pulls out of the hat this year
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don't hold your breath he said spec 4 is a pleasant surprise few months ago
like they say.. when i see it i'll believe it , would be a great karma between RBR and Mclaren though
"Spec 4" could have been implemented last season but for a myriad of reasons it was not.
The baseline for the 618's numbers is an improvement over the most recent 617. I can't go into specifics.
"Innovations" have to do with the ICE's components and ERS processes.
Leaving us no choice but to guess, I think similar step forward Renault made from 2015 to ~middle of 2016, with more to come ~ summer break. If the Toro Rosso can make it to the upper midfield by years end it'll be an accomplishment but not an unrealistic one. 2018 probably has the most pressure to perform than any other year, and not just for Honda.
Ferrari cannot afford to play second fiddle, and Vettel and Raikkonen's carrers will be defined by 2018.
Mercedes cannot afford to stop developing as it's advantage grows smaller and smaller each season with any mistake made.
Honda must prove to itself that they can win in this formula, that they have the talent and the vision. Red Bull can become a very powerful ally if they play their cards right, they themselves are facing competition now from McLaren and Renault themselves.
This year Honda is not constrained by another car manufacturer, which I imagine is why the process is so much more transparent. Honda has a lot more leverage, and the freedom to do things the Honda way, but with enough reservation to work with the team building their chassis.
I feel that the steps forward Honda took in 2017 showed that they understand the path they need to follow, the recipe is good but not quite there yet, like a slightly underseasoned dish.
Finally, I don't think any team will be able to comply with reliability, every team will take at least one grid penalty, I'll be very surprised if they don't.