2018 Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 Team - Honda

[Sayeman]

The most frustrating thing for me is that whenever Ferrari/Mercedes encounter a problem, you can be 100% sure there will be a fix next race. But when Honda encounters an issue (like every race weekend), it takes them half a year to apologize, transfer the issue to sakura, analyze the issue, then bring a fix, but then it breaks down again.
Rinse and repeat.

They are not investing enough, not communicating enough with the race team, lack of manpower too probably. They will always be 2 steps behind. The lifecycle of this PU is coming to an end in 2 years? There will be new set of regulation before Honda catches up due law of diminishing returns.

[ispano6]

Seems that Gasly bottomed out hard going wide at turn 12 and bottomed out even harder at the exit of turn 12 with the center-line of the chassis hitting the bump.
On first impact you see the sparks from underneath the chassis but you also see fragments and splinters coming out of the exhaust moments after. After the 2nd hard bump the engine again heaves some more plumes until finally blowing out. Reminds me of Stoffel's engine failures at Monza where he bottomed out twice at the same curb and caused damage to the engine.
The way the engine goes out reminds me of Vettel's turbo going out in Bahrain. Maybe the shaft connecting the compressor snapped or seized. Either way, Honda and TR need to figure out how to make their package more resilient to damage when curb riding. Less rake and more clearance? The drivers will also need to avoid riding the curbs. Gasly's pace actually seemed decent, though it seemed he clipped a Sauber at the beginning. Had he continued without issue he would have finished 13th right ahead of Leclerc.

Slow-mo replay of Gasly bottoming out:

[427cubes]

Statement from Honda - Seems like MGU H issues are not completely taken care of.
Toyoharu Tanabe (Honda F1 Technical Director):
“It is disappointing that Pierre Gasly had to retire on lap 15 with an MGU-H problem. We now
have to investigate the precise cause and then we have a few days of hard work to ensure
we do not have a repeat of the problem at the next race.
As for Brendon, after his early pit stop, because of a flat spotted tyre, he raced consistently, but
with the difficulty of overtaking here he was unable to move up the order.
It was a tough start to the season, however we have to move on from this and keep a positive
frame of mind as we immediately start preparing for the second round of the championship.”

[ispano6]

Considering that there weren't MGU-H failures during testing it seems like a durability issue with the PU when there are external forces and impact. This was an issue last year and it seems the current spec PU still has the same issues. The newer spec and bodywork can't come soon enough.

[Chicane]

The major issue with Honda is the lack of resources in to f1. They are a huge company with massive resources but they are using f1 as a test bed and it is reflected in their record since their return.

There is only so many times you can give excuses. Fourth year since their return and the pattern of failures is the same. MGU-H bearing issues caused by mainly heat and oil seepage have been plaguing them since time immemorial but they have failed to get on top of those despite a 100 counter measures, the words they love to use .

Honda need to divert more resources and try and poach engineers from rivals to fast track their learning because without 100 percent commitment in terms of resources and personnel they will struggle. Without ERS efficiency they will struggle in races a phenomenon Mclaren suffered in races in the last three years.

Toro Rosso have given Honda full freedom in terms of installation, space and cooling yet if they have reliability issues in the very first race it is a big hit. Remember in these power units once MGU-H fails the turbo also fails. This is going to be a really challenging season for Toro Rosso and i hope Honda manage to turn this around but i waited for three years in blind hope it never happened. Hopefully Toro Rosso are more lucky.

One thing is certain Red Bull main team aren't going to be anywhere near Honda in their current state.

[Revs84]

Does anyone know whether Honda have switched to their in-house designed MGU-H or if they're still using an MAT designed (If I'm not mistaken) MGU-H?

[Ground Effect]

After amazing reliability in pre season, I get the impression that today's failure can't be a major problem that will set them back. It was tough, but everyone has to stay positive.
To be honest, after preseason, I thought they would have a chance at top 4-5, but that looks a long way off.
It's imperative that Honda drastically increases it's investment and starts being aggressive with recruiting people from top teams, buying knowledge, Tech and expertise. That's how Ferrari overcame an abysmal 2014. Since 2015, their PU has been competitive.

[loner]

Seems that Gasly bottomed out hard going wide at turn 12 and bottomed out even harder at the exit of turn 12 with the center-line of the chassis hitting the bump.
On first impact you see the sparks from underneath the chassis but you also see fragments and splinters coming out of the exhaust moments after. After the 2nd hard bump the engine again heaves some more plumes until finally blowing out. Reminds me of Stoffel's engine failures at Monza where he bottomed out twice at the same curb and caused damage to the engine.
The way the engine goes out reminds me of Vettel's turbo going out in Bahrain. Maybe the shaft connecting the compressor snapped or seized. Either way, Honda and TR need to figure out how to make their package more resilient to damage when curb riding. Less rake and more clearance? The drivers will also need to avoid riding the curbs. Gasly's pace actually seemed decent, though it seemed he clipped a Sauber at the beginning. Had he continued without issue he would have finished 13th right ahead of Leclerc.

Slow-mo replay of Gasly bottoming out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3JhR1qMh_8

AH good video this could be the reason of retirement .. smoke exploded exactly after taking the bottoming hit
i rated this post

[HPD]

I'm disappointed with the team. I understand all the work involved in an engine change.
I do not want to blame Honda, nor do I want to blame TR.
After this race. You can see Red Bull continue with Renault in 2019. With good reason (I hope to be wrong..)

[NL_Fer]

Didn’t Hamilton complain about the resurfaced track of Barcelone being to smooth? They removed all the bumps, so hardly any testing was done on that part. Melbourne is a semi-street circuit.

[johnny comelately]

Seems that Gasly bottomed out hard going wide at turn 12 and bottomed out even harder at the exit of turn 12 with the center-line of the chassis hitting the bump.
On first impact you see the sparks from underneath the chassis but you also see fragments and splinters coming out of the exhaust moments after. After the 2nd hard bump the engine again heaves some more plumes until finally blowing out. Reminds me of Stoffel's engine failures at Monza where he bottomed out twice at the same curb and caused damage to the engine.
The way the engine goes out reminds me of Vettel's turbo going out in Bahrain. Maybe the shaft connecting the compressor snapped or seized. Either way, Honda and TR need to figure out how to make their package more resilient to damage when curb riding. Less rake and more clearance? The drivers will also need to avoid riding the curbs. Gasly's pace actually seemed decent, though it seemed he clipped a Sauber at the beginning. Had he continued without issue he would have finished 13th right ahead of Leclerc.

Slow-mo replay of Gasly bottoming out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3JhR1qMh_8

It may not necessarily be the cause, if it was it makes you think of the connecting shaft of the turbo.
But the two smoke plumes look like they are coming from the wastegate pipes ......

[johnny comelately]

Seems that Gasly bottomed out hard going wide at turn 12 and bottomed out even harder at the exit of turn 12 with the center-line of the chassis hitting the bump.
On first impact you see the sparks from underneath the chassis but you also see fragments and splinters coming out of the exhaust moments after. After the 2nd hard bump the engine again heaves some more plumes until finally blowing out. Reminds me of Stoffel's engine failures at Monza where he bottomed out twice at the same curb and caused damage to the engine.
The way the engine goes out reminds me of Vettel's turbo going out in Bahrain. Maybe the shaft connecting the compressor snapped or seized. Either way, Honda and TR need to figure out how to make their package more resilient to damage when curb riding. Less rake and more clearance? The drivers will also need to avoid riding the curbs. Gasly's pace actually seemed decent, though it seemed he clipped a Sauber at the beginning. Had he continued without issue he would have finished 13th right ahead of Leclerc.

Slow-mo replay of Gasly bottoming out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3JhR1qMh_8

After watching your video, I clicked on the next one to do with crankshaft torque pulse simulation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkmbq_jAfJA

[Sayeman]

we have a few days of hard work to ensure
we do not have a repeat of the problem at the next race.

Been hearing about them "working hard" for 4 years. What are they working so hard on i wonder. Not like the PU is any good.

[godlameroso]

One race down 20 more to go. Honestly not worried, shame about Gasley, and I found it weird that even after Hartley unlapped himself, he was still 30 seconds back. Worse he couldn't make up ground, and finished caboose. The car and the drivers have a lot of work to do, more so than the power unit.

[kaepernickus]

The car and the drivers have a lot of work to do, more so than the power unit.

So you're saying the STR chassis and Hartley / the drivers are holding back the PU?