Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

[Mansell89]

Ted Kravitz

Sky are the most biased and inept reporting media channel in F1 history. All they have done all winter is beat down McLaren and Alonso.

It's an easy headline, and Alonso is still considered a rival to their darling Lewis.

Clearly McLaren are not in a position to win races but the strides they are making and will continue to make are actually very promising. They have yet to optimise set up or even do a quali run either, so they may yet be a q3 team.

[Thunder]

How on Earth does Ted even draw that conclusion out of the bit that was quoted?

Journos these Days have next level imagination Powers.

[KingHamilton01]

Ted Kravitz

Sky are the most biased and inept reporting media channel in F1 history. All they have done all winter is beat down McLaren and Alonso.

It's an easy headline, and Alonso is still considered a rival to their darling Lewis.

Clearly McLaren are not in a position to win races but the strides they are making and will continue to make are actually very promising. They have yet to optimise set up or even do a quali run either, so they may yet be a q3 team.

Totally agree with you, almost cringe worthy how downbeat he is about McLaren, yesterday he made out he didn't even know what time Alonso did!

[vantage87]

Autosport.com
There’s been lots of interest in how the speed trap figures are looking in testing. Here’s how the drivers stacked up in the main speed trap, situated just before Turn 1, yesterday:

Nasr (Sauber), 346.1km/h
Magnussen (Renault), 341.7km/h
Hamilton (Mercedes), 338.5km/h
Bottas (Williams), 337.5km/h
Haryanto (Manor), 336.4km/h
Verstappen (Toro Rosso), 334.3km/h
Raikkonen (Ferrari), 332.3km/h
Gutierrez (Haas), 331.2km/h
Hulkenberg (Force India), 331.2km/h
Rosberg (Mercedes), 327.2km/h
Alonso (McLaren), 326.2km/h
Kvyat (Red Bull), 322.3km/h

Andrew Benson:
It has been a torrid past year for McLaren and engine partner Honda, but is a light emerging at the end of the tunnel? Fernando Alonso was third fastest on Tuesday. OK, that was still 1.7secs off the Mercedes, but it’s a major step forward from where McLaren were last year.

Dig a little deeper, and the picture continues to look promising. Correcting the times for our best knowledge of fuel and tyres, Alonso was equal fourth quickest with Valtteri Bottas’s Williams, behind the two Mercedes and Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari.

Analyse the sector and speed-trap times and the McLaren chassis continues to look very impressive. Alonso was second fastest to Nico Rosberg in the twisty final sector; third fastest in sector two that comprises the middle part of the lap and the back straight; and recorded the third fastest speed at the first sector line - which is after the 150mph Turn Three and just before the braking for Turn Four.

The engine’s power output is still obviously a problem - the McLaren was slowest of all at the finish line and second slowest at the end of the pit straight. But at least things appear to be going in the right direction.

[Redragon]

How on Earth does Ted even draw that conclusion out of the bit that was quoted?

Journos these Days have next level imagination Powers.

That just looking at his notebook, knowing him pretty sure on his dairy video is all flowers today for Mclaren if everything goes well. Not gossip to cover. Eg. He was the one saying Alonso will have a sabbatical if his first day didn't go well and then same day on his dairy video was saying everything went pretty well and didn't know from where the comments of sabbatical was coming from.

[iichel]

Ted's notebook can be informative if you already have some information on the backgrounds. Then it's just a piece of the puzzle instead of the entire picture. I agree Sky is a bit biased (i.e. to Lewis)

[PlatinumZealot]

Only someone with half a brain watches Ted's Notebook for technical facts.

[radosav]

And Boullier says Fernando Alonso - who completed over 90 laps with the new Honda power unit on Tuesday - was clearly pleased with the gains.

"His first comment was he was happy, he could feel a difference - compared to last year and compared to last week, actually. The comparison was straight forward and he was clearly happier.

"He will also be happier tomorrow, I guess, because we have been doing some mapping work since yesterday and the engine is better and better and better. But it is step by step because there is some reliability issue if you go too fast and too far."
http://www.gptoday.com/full_story/view/ ... ower_unit/

[hemichromis]

Much better speed trap figures!

Faster than Mercedes!

[ollandos]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ccj4K4ZWIAArqO2.jpg

Much better speed trap figures!

Faster than Mercedes!

if that is on clean air its good sing ....with car in front no

[vantage87]

'Clearly a gain' from Honda update - Eric Boullier
http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/148 ... c-boullier

"There is clearly a gain and it is good to see we have more potential coming," Boullier said on Wednesday. "It's still very early days so we need to put more mileage, and there is more experience to be gained on how to use and exploit this. But so far, for sure, more potential."

On Tuesday Alonso said it was too early to judge the Honda power unit but Boullier admits the Spaniard was much more positive in the feedback he gave the team.

"His first comment was he was happy, he could feel a difference -- compared to last year and compared to last week, actually. The comparison was straight forward and he was clearly happier. He will also be happier tomorrow, I guess, because we have been doing some mapping work since yesterday and the engine is better and better and better. But it is step by step because there is some reliability issue if you go too fast and too far."

Jenson Button: New Honda engine biggest step forward in 14 months
http://www.gptoday.com/full_story/view/ ... 14_months/

[hurril]

I really like that Honda sound but I seem to be in the minority in doing so. I just sounds very very angry. Like a dragracing engine.

[GoranF1]

2 rumors i heard today (cant confirm any of it)

1. Honda now has qualifying mode
2. gap to Mercedes reduced from cca 100bhp to cca 60BHP

[Mansell89]

McLaren are on the right path and although there are many more ups and downs to come, I do believe they were 100% right to go to a full works Honda and take the short term pain for long term gain.

You simply cannot be a Mercedes customer- I find it almost degrading that Williams are having to live in the Mercedes works team shadow, constantly a few tenths behind the curve.

They are still going to be some way behind the leaders in Melbourne but it appears they might just have a foundation now that they can build on and add to. I'm actually pleasantly surprised by testing in many ways- despite two difficult days last week their mileage has surpassed my expectations and concerns, and importantly the chassis looks good on the early data.

I wonder what they can do in terms of reducing the gap come the final few rounds and looking to 2017? A lot of work to come before then though.

[Redragon]

2 rumors i heard today (cant confirm any of it)

1. Honda now has qualifying mode
2. gap to Mercedes reduced from cca 100bhp to cca 60BHP

The qualifying mode I have read it on an interview with Boulier and the 60 Hp difference could come from the Spanish interview with Alonso