Honda shakes up its lines for 2018

After a final season alongside McLaren and the end of a bitter failure, Honda will turn towards Toro Rosso for its future in F1 in 2018. In view of this new association and in order to continue its progress, the Japanese engine manufacturer will move the lines in its management.

Honda is thus eliminating the position of general manager of the F1 project, a role which until now was entrusted to Yusuke Hasegawa. The latter had taken over from Yasuhisa Arai early 2016, but the evolution of the performance of the Japanese bloc does not seem to have convinced the leaders of Tokyo.

Honda R&D UK will thus see the arrival of Toyoharu Tanabe as technical director. The latter then moved to the position of manager of Honda Performance Development, the American branch of Honda which is enjoying great success in IndyCar (double holder of the Indy 500) and who will regain endurance in IMSA via Acura and Team Penske in 2018.

Tanabe is not unknown in F1, since the latter had served as Gerhard Berger's engineer between 1990 and 1992 during the first McLaren-Honda era, but also with BAR then Honda Racing with Jenson Button.

“We will separate technical development responsibilities from race management and supervision to move towards a system that allows development and racing/testing teams to complete tasks more quickly, comments Honda, via the voice of Moriyama Katsuhide, communications manager.

We will continue to race with Toro Rosso to aim for the top ranking as soon as possible with the development and racing teams firmly focused on their respective roles. »

Yusuke Hasegawa will take on the role of head of research at the Honda Institute of Technology from January 1, 2018, at the same time that Toyoharu Tanabe takes up his position within the F1 division.