McLaren, Arai confirms: "Honda suffered its return to F1 after years of absence"

To date, the return of the McLaren-Honda duo - made famous in the past by the victories achieved by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost between the 80s and 90s - has not produced the desired results. The Japanese motor company, which returned to F1 in 2015 after several years of absence, has paid its dues towards hybrid technology.

During the past season, the Woking team suffered systematic difficulties in the engine sector, closing the season in penultimate place in the constructors' standings.

Yasuhisa Arai, head of Honda Motorsport, spoke to the Nippon Asian Review newspaper on the problems related to PU: “Unfortunately we have felt the absence from the world of F1. We anticipated the problems and Even though we have identified them, we have not been able to quickly identify the causes, but have found measures to resolve them and take the necessary precautions".

On the McLaren-Honda relationship and any possible tension between the parties, Arai declared: “The conversations with them were somewhere in between, neither too welcoming nor too confrontational. Most of our staff were new. Last summer they asked us if we had enough resources, wanting to know why they always acted on our behalf. We replied that Honda has its own philosophy".

Arai is positive about the near future, making it clear that Honda is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel after a year of apprenticeship: "We are eager to meet everyone's expectations and reach the podium in the shortest time possible. We will solve the problems that plagued us in 2015. I am confident. We are ready for 2016".

Piero Ladisa

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