Honda after first weekend with spec 2 engine: 'Trouble free'

Published on 28 April 2019 by Bryan van Berlo

This weekend, both drivers of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso ran an improved version of Honda’s power unit. Toyoharu Tanabe, technical director of Honda Racing F1, had the following to say after today’s Azerbaijan GP: “Our primary aim today was to get all four of our cars to the finish with our new spec 2 ICE, therefore it was a shame that two of them had to retire.”

“On the positive side, Max has shown great consistency, finishing fourth in the last three races. Pierre and Daniil were unlucky to retire with a mechanical issue and a no-fault incident respectively and it’s a shame that Alex finished where he started, as it was just one place outside the points.”

“Another good point is that our spec 2 ICE ran trouble free on its first race weekend, which is an encouraging sign. We will now analyse all the data and work closely with our two teams as we prepare for the next race, the Spanish Grand Prix.”