Honda say they’re fully aware of what is holding them back and they’re taking steps to address the problem, with race-by-race improvements.
It’s believed cooling could be part of Honda and McLaren’s reliability troubles, particularly around the energy recovery system, which is why the team had to run at reduced power in Australia.
But Honda’s engine boss, Yasuhisa Arai, says they have a clear understanding of the issue and step-by-step it will be resolved.
“Already we know what happened [in Australia], so we are going carefully step by step and we have confirmed [the problem],” he told Autosport.
“After the confirming, we apply that [fix] at the next race and the next race, going step by step,” he added, though he refused to set a deadline as to when the problem will be completely resolved. ” I don’t say what is the target date.”
Meanwhile racing director Eric Boullier has played down suggestions Honda are completely to blame for McLaren’s lacklustre pace as he believes they can do a lot of work on the chassis and aerodynamics to climb the grid.
“I don’t believe that we have a winning car and the engine is that bad,” he explained.
“The car is a new concept and even if the base is good and the car is drivable and performing, we still have to develop this concept.
“We know that, in terms of simulation, the car is good compared with last year but we also know that the aero development and vehicle dynamics development that we can bring to this car in the next few months is massive.”
