Honda are confident they will be ready with an upgraded power unit that addresses the weaknesses of their current unit, for the opening race of the season in March.
The Japanese manufacturer returned to the sport in partnership with McLaren, but the performance of their engine left much to be desired. McLaren were hit with record breaking grid penalties thanks to its poor reliability, whilst Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button scored just 27 points between them due to its lack of performance.
Honda’s Yasuhisa Arai now admits they weren’t prepared for Formula 1 when they returned, but believes their difficult season has proved invaluable in directing them toward a brighter future.
“That was in Melbourne,” Arai told Speedweek when asked when Honda’s lowest point of the season was. “We were not prepared enough and did not have enough test time and then the [first] race was already upon us.
“In the middle of the season we found the exact weakness of the engine, but we could not resolve it during the season. No chance.”
When asked if delaying their debut until 2016, to give Honda more time, would have been the right decision, he replied: “No, because the problem would have been the experience. We have used the races in 2015 as a test and learned a lot.
“The positive news is that McLaren-Honda scored no penalty for the start of the 99th [race together in Abu Dhabi]. That should be the norm. The result in Abu Dhabi has been difficult, with incidents on the first lap and in the pit lane. But we were able to confirm our progress through good fights in the midfield.”
Arai insists they have identified where they need to improve and says Honda will be ready and better prepared for the opening race of the season in 2016.
“We look forward to the development over the winter, where we will focus on reliability and to improve the power unit. We know the weaknesses of our engine, they will be fixed for Melbourne.
“There have been many discussions with McLaren and the drivers. The good news is that the driver and the team trust us. Our goal is to be stronger and better. We want to be ready for the 100th GP of McLaren-Honda. We are a team.”
