Mclaren MP4-30 Honda

[max_speed]

a Mega claim...lets hope we see some value in it

Honda is aiming to match Ferrari's power output with the updated Formula 1 engine it will introduce for the forthcoming Belgian Grand Prix.

The Japanese manufacturer has suffered a trying season since returning to F1 as works partner to McLaren this year, and has lagged behind rivals Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault with its first effort at exploiting the new V6 hybrid turbo regulations.

For Spa, the power unit in the back of the McLaren-Honda MP4-30 will include a revised internal combustion engine, featuring changes to the combustion chamber, intake, exhaust layout and gear-train system, according to Honda motorsport chief Yasuhisa Arai.

Arai told AUTOSPORT his company's existing engine was "much better than Renault" during the most recent race in Hungary, and that the upgraded version will take it closer to Ferrari's output.

The aim is then to match the class-leading Mercedes unit with a further upgrade over the winter, ready for the 2016 season.

"Spa is the final upgrade for this year, with ancillaries to follow in the following race," Arai told AUTOSPORT.

"Mk 3 [will be introduced] in Spa [and] we have already started development on next season's power unit.

"Mk 4 will be on the same level as Mercedes, that is the target; Mk 3 will be on a level similar to Ferrari, which is what we're aiming for. It's a big step."

CHASSIS HIDING GAINS

Alonso, McLaren, Hungary

Arai suggested the limitations of the MP4-30, which McLaren has updated continuously over the course of the season, masked Honda's engine performance in Hungary, where Arai said the unit was running at full power.

"[The car has] not so good mechanical grip, or aero, compared with Red Bull there is still a big gap," Arai added.

"We have checked the GPS data; the chassis and aero package needs time and fine-tuning, such as wing angle, ride heights, suspension settings.

"[Engine] unreliability has meant lots of parts were changed in winter testing and so things like flow-vis and taking data has been done during the season in FP1, due to the unreliability in the winter."

REASON FOR OPTIMISM

McLaren-Honda has suffered a large number of failures of various engine components this year, with Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button having both used six engines already in 2015.

However Arai reckons events at the Hungaroring give the alliance reason for genuine optimism, not because Alonso finished a season's best fifth but that neither the Spaniard nor team-mate Button suffered a single engine component failure.

"From the start of the season we knew there was a cooling problem, so we turned the engine power down a lot," Arai told AUTOSPORT.

"We upgraded the power unit in Spain to 'Spec 2' and we have almost perfected the heat rejection.

"Due to the compact package, you have the very skinny [bodywork] and everything on the inside had many issues regarding heat rejection, which causes a lot of damage for the MGU-H, the MGU-K.

"Finally, in Hungary, we have no problems and we have a good package."

[tranquility2k4]

Something strange is going on here because if Honda say their engine is now better than Renault then that would mean McLaren is about 1.5 seconds off Red Bull on the car alone. This just does not add up. You then have Ron saying their car is 2nd best behind Mercedes after Silverstone. Maybe their car is very good in high speed corners but not so good in slow, but then their best two performances have been at Monaco and Hungary. It would make sense their car being good in high speed stuff as it's very well packaged, and maybe this is why it struggles to create pure downforce. McLaren has not been anywhere near class leading on suspension since 07 - 09 ish though. They never mastered FRIC anywhere near to the extent that Mercedes did.

A lot of the competitors now believe a big chunk of Merc's advantage is still their suspension and it would add up as in certain corners, such as Hungary and Silverstone last corner, they just kill the opposition.

Merc are now also experts in getting the tyres working after their woes of 2013. This is highlighted most on Hard/Medium and when Ferrari for example get a softer compound that they can get working at the optimum temperature more easily, then we see a different picture. Maybe only 4 - 6 tenths between Ferrari/Merc.

[taperoo2k]

The MP4-30 has been compromised in terms of development due to Honda's woes, if Honda have fixed the various problems it's had, McLaren can start pushing the MP4-30 design properly. As with most claims from Honda, I'll take them with a pinch of salt.

Most of what's come out from Ron and co has been media spin, the thing to look at is the actual performance on track. Which makes Spa and Monza interesting given they are power circuits.

[tranquility2k4]

If they do really match or get close to Ferrari then that will be pretty phenomenal. If the car has all the potential that McLaren claim and that some people think, then we could have a bizzare situation where McLaren are the 2nd best team by the end of the year as I think they could make their car better than Ferrari. This seems like it would be a miracle though on performance to date... I'd very much like it to be true though as an ex-McLaren fan.

[George-Jung]

I think it would be better for them to not say these kind of things, because if they do not live up to these expectations than everybody will have their say about it.

Just let the results do the talking and focus on improvements.

[trinidefender]

Problem I see with this is that how can he claim that they were producing more power than the Renault engine yet after every corner the Renault powered cars were still pulling away from the McLaren Honda cars. If what he was saying was the truth then you won't see that happening. To back that up it always seemed like the corners is where the mp4-30 seemed to make up time. Both of these reasons completely contradict what is being said in the article.

Something tells me that the author of the article is twisting words and using quotes very selectively to try to change the meanings of things that have been said to make it seem like Boullier and Arai are contradicting each other. Nothing more juicy for a publishing company than a little in-team fighting, especially when it is the quiet summer break.

[proteus]

The thing that will happen will be that Mclarens will stay in Q2 in the bottom of the chart. MAybe a bit stronger than before, but still with not enough power. Especially since there is no testing in modern F1, which means that spa will be one big testing session. We might see 2 DNFs as well as they will try to figure out the pros and cons of the new imputs. This new components will bring almost nothing in spa, but they will produce in upcoming races. If u look at the season so far, almost every new thing they have putted on the car looked like it failed at the first race of using, but slowly and stedily they are getting faster bit by bit.

[CjC]

Ok, hang on let me get this right.
Honda are bringing a new mk3, on a par with Ferrari (which I highly doubt ) ICE/ power unit, what ever. Does the engine/grid penalty come complimentary or have I missed something?

[bauc]

Ok, hang on let me get this right.
Honda are bringing a new mk3, on a par with Ferrari (which I highly doubt ) ICE/ power unit, what ever. Does the engine/grid penalty come complimentary or have I missed something?

I guess we would have read a title somewhere saying, Mclaren to face penalties in SPA for bringing new spec engine ...but noting yet


*** EDIT ***

“As planned, Honda has updated the combustion characteristics to further improve our power units for Spa and the second half of the season. This weekend's free practice sessions will be important to test the pairing of the power units to the cars. The Belgian race, however, will surely be a difficult one for the team and drivers,with expected grid penalties and a long and unforgiving power circuit

[mclaren111]

Arai said Mk3 will hopefully be as strong as the Ferrari PU

"Mk 4 will be on the same level as Mercedes, that is the target; Mk 3 will be on a level similar to Ferrari, which is what we're aiming for. It's a big step."

[Sixbarboost]

I'm afraid that McLaren tried to do a "John Barnard" and tell Honda what to build, then it all went south.

[DiogoBrand]

One big thing to consider is that Ferrari and Mercedes also have tokens to spend. Even if Honda gets close to what they are now, it's unlikely they'll get close to what Ferrari and Merc will be after they make their own upgrades.
Another thing I find intriguing:
During the first half of the season, the chassis was supposed to be one of the best on the grid, and was let down by the PU. Now they tell the PU is performing well and is let down by the chassis. This kind of talk is one of the things that makes me question everything they say.

Hopefully they can get up to 5th till the end of the season. Having scored almost a third of FI's points in a single race, it seems very achievable. And with some more do and less talk they can perfectly get even higher next season, provided Renault doesn't make a comeback.

[ChrisF1]

During the first half of the season, the chassis was supposed to be one of the best on the grid, and was let down by the PU. Now they tell the PU is performing well and is let down by the chassis. This kind of talk is one of the things that makes me question everything they say.

It's been hard to believe anything to come out of a Mclaren or Honda mouth this season, all the way back to the Alonso testing accident.

I find Jenson to be the only person who is believable. Fernando is always hidden behind those mirror finish shades and trots out the corporate line, Ron and Eric are quick to talk up the future that never comes, whilst Honda seem to be off in a dream world.

Jenson meanwhile talks of all of those things, but you can visibly see the frustration and the honest side comes out far more often.

I'd love it if the car and PU take a step forward, but they need to make big steps over the next 5 months.

[foxmulder_ms]

I buy what Honda is claiming. After all, 2014 Mclaren with Mercedes engine was 1.5-2 sec off the pace. Is this year that different?

[McMrocks]

I buy what Honda is claiming. After all, 2014 Mclaren with Mercedes engine was 1.5-2 sec off the pace. Is this year that different?

And yet we don't know how much was possible with the package McLaren got from Merccedes.