Honda may work during August shutdown

Honda could keep working throughout the August factory shutdown period, it has emerged.

To cut costs and give hard-working staff a break in a busy race calendar, teams must close their factories for a period during the long break between the German and Belgian grands prix.

But suppliers are not subject to the same agreement, meaning McLaren’s works partner may be able to keep working in August.

"I think all the departments relating to the development of the chassis must obey these rules," McLaren team boss Eric Boullier said at Silverstone.

"As for Honda, I hope they will continue to work in August," he admitted. "The situation at Renault and Ferrari may be different, because their teams are organised in a different way."

Honda’s F1 chief Yusuke Hasegawa commented: "We plan to do a certain amount of work in August, but we still have to double-check with the regulations."