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Verstappen’s
Hungarian GP
pole was Honda’s
first since 2006
Australian GPFORMULA 1Honda heads into the second half of the Formula 1
season facing a “very complicated” decision on
when to introduce its next upgraded engine and
trigger grid penalties for Red Bull.
Honda has already introduced two engine upgrades
during the 2019 season, with its aggressive development
programme presenting the opportunity to introduce a
third update the next time it gives Red Bull and Toro
Rosso fresh engines. The Japanese manufacturer’s
Spec 3 engine made its debut in the French Grand
Prix in June and has completed five races.
With power-sensitive circuits coming up at the
Belgian and Italian GPs, followed by one of Red Bull’s
potentially strongest races in Singapore, either of
the two races immediately after the summer break
represents a logical time to introduce a new engine. Spa
and Monza are traditionally favoured venues for changes
that trigger grid drops, as it is easier to recover ground
there without compromising a strong race in Singapore.
But Honda F1 technical director Toyoharu Tanabe
said a decision had not been made prior to F1’s summer
break. “We are discussing all the time with the teams
and we will decide when we apply a new engine or
updated spec,” he said. “It depends on the situation
and timing and the result of the discussions with
the teams. It’s very complicated.”
Singapore will almost certainly be prioritised given it
represents a significant opportunity for Red Bull to takeanother win this season, but Honda’s home race in
Japan is only the fifth race after the summer break.
That Suzuka race is firmly in Honda’s sights as the
best opportunity for the manufacturer to score its first
points finish at home since it returned to F1 in 2015.
If Red Bull’s leading driver Max Verstappen takes a grid
penalty at Spa or Monza and does not take another fresh
engine before Suzuka, he will have to contest Honda’s
home grand prix with a power-unit package that is
several races old. Honda believes its engines are now
reliable enough to complete six full weekends without
problem or significant degradation in performance,
but it may not be willing to chance that at Suzuka. A
potential solution to that could be an engine change at
the preceding race in Russia. By sacrificing that grand
prix, Honda could have a fresh engine ready for Suzuka,
and likely have enough engines in the pool to complete
the season without further changes or penalties.WAITING ON 2021 DECISION
Honda believes that it cannot do much more to secure its
F1 future as its programme chiefs await a decision from
the company on whether to continue beyond 2020.
The manufacturer ended its win drought in June’s
Austrian GP, where Max Verstappen scored the first
victory for Red Bull’s and Honda’s new-for-
partnership. Verstappen won again in Germany and
scored his first pole position in Hungary, as Red
Bull-Honda cemented itself as Mercedes’ most
consistent challenger heading into the summer break.HONDA WEIGHS UP STRATEGIC
TEE