Boullier: Honda's commitment is good to see

While McLaren struggling to win points with its MP4-30, Honda is doing its best to improve the reliability of its engine in order to increase the power delivered. The Woking team only occupies 9th place in the Manufacturers' Championship with 5 points at mid-season.

“We know McLaren's level of commitment, but it's positive to see Honda's while knowing that our single-seaters are seconds away from their true potential. We can't use it due to reliability concerns, but we will make major progress when we resolve this issue.", commented Éric Boullier, Team Principal of McLaren, on the official F1 website.

McLaren was particularly touched to see Takahiro Hachigo, the new CEO of Honda, visit the paddock of the Austrian GP a few days after taking office. “It was a good thing… because it shows Honda’s commitment. This is clearly a long-term partnership.. It was a very positive sign to come at such a difficult time and it’s a good source of motivation”, added the director of the British team.

As for knowing when McLaren will emerge from its black streak to return to the forefront, Éric Boullier is more evasive. “It’s not going to happen anytime. It's not simple. It's not enough to change something on the car for it to start working. We could gain half a second, not a few tenths, if we find a solution. Another solution discovered, another half-second saved…”