Big effort to transform Honda’s WTCC fortunes

Alessandro Mariani says no stone was left unturned in the Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team’s bid to get its WTCC title ambitions back on track during the winter.

Mariani, whose JAS Motorsport squad runs Honda’s factory effort in the WTCC, explained the work had been ongoing since the summer in an effort to boost the make’s prospects in the world championship following a tough 2015 campaign.

“We touched every component on the car that’s for sure,” said Mariani. “We could understand step by step the main problems. And starting from the second part of the 2015 season we made a good schedule with the R&D people in Japan to solve the problems.

“We start from the chassis, the suspension, the geometry, the engine and from strategy we change completely the test approach during the test sessions. I think it’s very good and I am very happy. Of course I am not sure to be at the top but I am sure to start for the first race to be competitive. In motorsport it makes sense if you are there to win and it’s important to depart from your house with the hope to be the winner.”

Factory Honda driver Tiago Monteiro added: “I don’t want to be two optimistic but we had a very good winter. We have great evolutions on the car and we have a great realignment of the organisation of the team at many different levels. The winter always throws up a lot of question marks. But we are very, very motivated for sure.”

Honda last won the WTCC Manufacturers’ Championship in 2013.