I know that.
But weren't they targeting a bigger gain from the ERS?
Guess Honda's own targets have been missed.
Axed
The poor performance of Honda in various categories of motor sport last year, especially in Formula 1, eventually has had consequences for the two men responsible for its sports program. Hideo Sato, the top leader of the motorsport division of the Japanese brand, and Yasuhisa Arai, the man who led the return of the Japanese brand to F1 - with terrible results - will be removed from their positions at the end of the day, though they have been informed of this decision internally.
The announcement will be made by the president of Honda, Takahiro Hachigo, in Tokyo tomorrow afternoon; and the names of Sato and Arai's replacements will be made known at that time. In the case of Hideo Sato, who is about to be 65, the spacing is ultimately a way to send him into retirement in a more or less dignified manner, because the services provided to the brand in the last 15 years deserve respect and should not result in a dismissal or demotion.
In the case of Arai, the situation is different because he is far from having reached the end of his career within Honda, so he will have to accept that his progression within the Japanese brand has come to an end. In recent months it was felt that his personal relationship with Hachigo, who worked under him in his early years at Honda, would be enough to save his job, but the pressure of McLaren and the lack of development of the Japanese brand in late last year eventually dictated his removal.
From what we know, Arai's successor has a solid career as an engineer in the engine division and in competition with Honda, which is a good beginning, and is supported by the old guard - the veterans who were at the origin of the glorious turbocharged V6 and the normally aspirated V10 who dominated Formula 1 between 1986 and 1991 - and was part of the group which, of its own accord, set out to redesign the current turbo unit without Arai's direction; and won the internal battle, as the project leader Formula 1 was forced to accept the new turbo in his V6.
Honda F1 2007