Honda, who only made headlines a few years ago over Formula 1 engine failures and grid penalties, expressed surprise on Friday at how much Mercedes’ usually sure engine has gone through in the season. this award.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton collected his second championship at Brazil’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix with a fifth engine – more than twice the number of drivers allowed for the season.
Teammate Valtteri Bottas was in his sixth year.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who leads Hamilton by 19 points with four races, is on his fourth Honda engine alongside Mexican teammate Sergio Perez and they don’t look forward to needing anything more. again.
“I was surprised that they (Mercedes) changed the ICE (internal combustion engine) so often. Really, I couldn’t believe what was happening,” Honda’s Toyoharu Tanabe told reporters.
“From the point of view of the PU (power supply) manufacturer, it is disappointing to have a PU fine for the driver.”
Mercedes has won the most recent seven driver and assistor championships, with Hamilton chasing a record eighth title this season.
Honda had a rough time with McLaren when they returned to sport as an engine supplier in 2015 after a very successful previous partnership with the Woking group in the late 1980s and early 1990s. .
In 2017, McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne hit a pointless penalty into the 65-place net for the Belgian Grand Prix in his home country after Honda replaced the powertrain unit of his car.
Other penalties exceeding 30 places are not unusual for the team, and doubles world champion Fernando Alonso was disappointed when he compared the engine to one in a GP2 car at Honda’s home Japanese Grand Prix. in 2015.
At the Brazilian GP that year, the Spaniard famously watched qualifying from a roadside deck chair after his McLaren broke down.
The Japanese manufacturer and McLaren parted ways at the end of 2017 as the team finished 9th overall, with Honda partnering with Red Bull, which is winning its first title since 2013.
McLaren is powered by Mercedes, after three years with Renault, and fights for third place overall. Mercedes is one point ahead of Red Bull in the constructors ranking.
However, Honda is leaving the sport at the end of this season, with Red Bull taking over the intellectual property rights and building their own powertrain.
