Honda denies Spec 2 engine was a failure
"The numbers we checked on our bench were reflected"
Honda has pushed back against suggestions its much-hyped Spec 2 engine upgrade under-delivered at Zandvoort, insisting the new power unit reached the performance levels seen on the dyno.
Reports around the Dutch GP had suggested Honda was targeting a gain of roughly 50 horsepower but produced less than 20 on track, while Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were both openly critical of the new engine’s drivability.
Speaking to as-web.jp, Honda Racing Corporation trackside chief Shintaro Orihara said the raw performance gain itself was not the problem.
"Regarding performance, the data confirms that the numbers we checked on our bench were reflected on the course," he said.
"As for reliability, we were able to go through the weekend without any problems, so in that respect, it went according to plan."
Orihara acknowledged, however, that changing the combustion specification effectively reopened some of the drivability problems Honda had spent the first half of the season addressing.
Alonso had likened this to going "back to square one".
"There are certainly challenges regarding drivability," said Orihara, "but we have confirmed that performance will improve if we take action and go through the process of improving it, so we do not consider Spec 2 a failure."
"We saw some improvement, but we haven’t yet reached the level of delivering stable torque."
The main complaint from both Aston Martin drivers concerned inconsistent engine braking and throttle response.
"Specifically, they are having trouble with engine braking during braking, which is inconsistent from lap to lap," said the Japanese.
"The torque didn’t respond as expected to the amount the accelerator was pressed, or conversely, it was too much. When that happened, wheelspin would suddenly occur on the exit, so the driver couldn’t attack with confidence."
Orihara admitted that Honda remains behind the benchmark in F1.
"The performance has definitely improved compared to Spec 1," he said.
But looking ahead to Monza, he cautioned: "Unfortunately, even though we’ve updated our power unit, it’s still not the best."
"Therefore, we’re prepared for a tough fight at Monza."