McLaren wants to halve its delay with Honda

Si McLaren-Honda seemed in better shape than last year with the MP4-31 at the Barcelona winter testing, the car from Woking are still struggling to obtain the performance necessary to return to the forefront. The fault is partly due to this Japanese Power Unit whose development is not at the level of its competitors.

“Honda seems to have resolved a priori the main weakness of its engine, this famous energetic “deployment” of power over a lap”, commented Éric Boullier, director of McLaren-Honda, to AUTOhebdo. “Today, the engine generates enough thermal power to provide sufficient electrical power in times of crucial need. However, there is still work to do…”

McLaren will try to reduce its delay on the leading teams over the course of the season by banking on the responsiveness of the Japanese engine manufacturer. “We have started a technical collaboration with Honda that we did not have before. If it bears the fruits that we have seen through the various projects, we can hope to recover 50% of the power deficit by the end of the year”, said the Frenchman.

Discover the interview with Éric Boullier and the file F1 at the end of winter testing in AUTO n°2053hebdo, available now in digital version on all platforms and on newsstands.