Honda RA106 fast but moody

The Honda Racing F1 Team continues to be among the pre-season pace-setters displaying encouraging speed and reliability in chilly Spain this week. The testing action switched from Barcelona to the slower, more technical track at Valencia this week and there were more encouraging signs for all at Honda.

"It has been another very good test for us this week with the new Honda Racing F1 Team RA106 cars,” confirmed Mark Ellis, Chief Engineer Vehicle Performance. “We have again had to contend with poor weather and track conditions, however the cars have proven to be fast and consistent in all conditions. Despite a couple of small issues, we are happy with the reliability of the new car. We look forward to continuing our development programme in Jerez next week."

Although the team experienced a rare engine failure, Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development, was pleased with the overall level of performance. He reported: "We have gained a little more top power and an improved torque curve after this test. Our target is 100 per cent reliability so we still have work to do in the coming weeks, but overall we have made good progress."

There is indeed work to do for the team. Honda has been plagued with several issues that may be critical during a season as 2005 proved. Since the pace seems to be there work is ongoing to improve the car's reliability and get it ready for Bahrain.