2018 Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 Team - Honda

[godlameroso]

Williams has Paddy Lowe, and they have enough funding to develop the car, Haas I see as sometimes being able to challenge for points and sometimes being nowhere as they've traditionally done. Force India will have improved, but I fear that they will fall behind the factory Renault team next year. Add McLaren to the mix, and it seems TR may be fighting for points on occasion, it all depends on what Honda can produce for next year, if Honda does help then I think they can build a good car and develop it throughout the season, they can have a strong points finisher. If Honda makes a beast engine, and TR has the freedom to throw the max into car development they could have a chance at a podium finisher.

As far as the drivers, it takes time to adapt to these cars, Alonso wasn't fast straight away in the Toyota and was not on the pace, so I will reserve judgement on Hartley. I don't know much about Gasley so I can't say one way or the other. They looked evenly matched but the car was probably slower than the Sauber by Abu Dhabi.

[NathanOlder]

That means that for good or glory, 2019 will see a benefit for Toro Rosso, BUT to be honest, if the Honda engine DOES work well, then i'm 100% sure that'll go to RedBull mothership team, so it's sad to say it but i don't think Toro Rosso is going to benefit humongeously on the Honda signing..

Haven't Honda bought a stake in Toro Rosso, so if they are mid way through a decent 2018 and making good ground on the front running engines, they could try to buy out Toro rosso ? And then Wouldn't want to bother about Red Bull as they would want to succeed with Toro Rosso.

If i were now Honda, I would put 100% in to winning with Toro Rosso, even if it means buying Toro Rosso. Just to make a point and rub Mclarens face in it.

[Manoah2u]

Honda hasn't had much success 'on their own' as a F1 team.

I'm not so sure about Honda having any interest in having 'their own' team. Having a stake, sure - they're investing hundreds of millions, i think it's rather logical to 'want some stake' when doing that. I think Toro Rosso will be the hotbed for testing and development and if it's good, I'm confident they'll go with RedBull. After all, Honda is doing the engine work, not any aero work whatsoever, just to name 1 aspect.

RedBull has that department covered, Toro Rosso will never have that as good as RB will. So It would make sense for Honda to keep supplying Toro Rosso, and then go all out with RedBull, just like Mercedes supplied Force India whilst going all out with the AMG mothership team.

[NathanOlder]

Very true, it gets more complicated when Porsche come in. If they want someof Red bull, where does that leave Honda.

I can see Matashitz (what ever his name is) selling up. Toro Rosso to Honda, Red Bull to Porsche

[HPD]

The truth is that I prefer Honda to remain an engine supplier. As a team, it is very early to think about them. (2021 may be possible)

Speaking about engines. What do you think about using 5 PU for the 2018 season?
Penalize 2 times and so be able to add more evolutions constantly.

[NathanOlder]

Yeah. Id love the 4 engine manufacturers all to come together and say, we will all take a new and 4th PU at Suzuka. And there's nothing the FIA can do about it.

[Fowks]

Bad year incoming....

[Manoah2u]

Yeah. Id love the 4 engine manufacturers all to come together and say, we will all take a new and 4th PU at Suzuka. And there's nothing the FIA can do about it.

replace EVERYTHING PU all at once. that means qually will be just as it is lol.

[G'dayBruce]

Bad year incoming....

You're probably right. As mush as I'm a Honda fan and hope they can finally get it together on the engine and be successful with TR, I'd say the chances are slim to bugger all. The most Honda can hope for next season, I think, is they can get to the end of it with their head held high having developed a decent PU and RB having elected to run with them in 2018.

If the team manage to consistently mix it up in the midfield about half way into the season, then I'd call that success, with anything more than that being a bonus and a one fingered salute to McLaren.

[Fowks]

Bad year incoming....

You're probably right. As mush as I'm a Honda fan and hope they can finally get it together on the engine and be successful with TR, I'd say the chances are slim to bugger all. The most Honda can hope for next season, I think, is they can get to the end of it with their head held high having developed a decent PU and RB having elected to run with them in 2018.

If the team manage to consistently mix it up in the midfield about half way into the season, then I'd call that success, with anything more than that being a bonus and a one fingered salute to McLaren.

It would be a shame to see TR struggling between them in the last positions as Minardi years... I don't like that picture...

But hey, I wouldn't care to show your finger in a mirrow to Mr. Marko

[Manoah2u]

I think we should expect Toro Rosso to have a less than ideal season start where they'll be at the very back getting beaten by Sauber.

[Vasconia]

The truth is that I prefer Honda to remain an engine supplier. As a team, it is very early to think about them. (2021 may be possible)

Speaking about engines. What do you think about using 5 PU for the 2018 season?
Penalize 2 times and so be able to add more evolutions constantly.

Honda will (probably) wont make a comeback as a team. They had enough with the big failure of the previous project.

[G'dayBruce]

I think we should expect Toro Rosso to have a less than ideal season start where they'll be at the very back getting beaten by Sauber.

I'm inclined to agree. But hoping for some good progress before peaking somewhere in the middle of the season (race results wise) before starting to get screwed over by PU penalties with these BS rules and generally being out developed by the bigger teams.

[G'dayBruce]

Will it be an entirely different chassis? Don't know. Either way, the chassis must be altered so to fit the honda engine, which is smaller by the way it sounds as Mclaren had a super tight package AND now Renault is going there they mentioned the engine cover needs changing (logical, but it sounds like it's less tightly packed).

On the Honda engine forum there's been talk about the spec 4 (if it ever comes) being the long awaited TJI version and being a bit bigger up top. If spec 4 (I imagine it'll be renamed and reset to zero for 2018) comes into fruition with the 2018 TR launch, then any packaging advantage over the Renault may be lost. I'll take the power and efficiency gains though thanks

[HPD]

With the new association Alfa Romeo Sauber (confirmed).
Sauber can use the engine maps they use at Ferrari.

It is very likely that the fight is Sauber vs. Hass vs. TR