Honda’s shameful engine

As the Grand Prix season progresses, Honda's difficulties are mounting, dashing any hopes of a triumphant revival of its partnership with McLaren.

When Honda announced its return to Formula 1 alongside McLaren, the partnership immediately brought back memories of the 1980s, an era marked by McLaren, Prost, and Senna, and raised hopes for a new golden chapter. The excitement was amplified by the presence of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, widely regarded as the most talented driver of his generation, and a three-year development plan aimed at regaining the top spot in the sport. The introduction of new turbo-hybrid engines in 2014 forced Honda to take its time. The Japanese manufacturer chose to perfect the technology before delivering its first engine to McLaren in 2015, openly admitting that the first season, and perhaps the next, would be a learning curve rather than a triumph. This caution proved justified: the 2015 season was a disaster. Despite the experience of Alonso and his teammate Jenson Button, both drivers had to contend with an underperforming engine, scoring only a handful of points while keeping up a good front for the future. Frustration reached its peak at Suzuka, where Alonso, visibly irritated, described the engine as “GP2 level” live on television.

All eyes turned to 2016 for signs of progress. The team improved modestly, scoring 76 points and finishing sixth in the constructors' standings, up from 27 the previous year, but any realistic hopes of podium finishes quickly faded. The 2017 season marked a turning point. With Button's retirement and the arrival of Stoffel Vandoorne in the second seat, Alonso's impatience grew. Honda responded by abandoning its existing V6 hybrid model and starting from scratch, writing off two years of disappointing performance and reliability. The gamble did not pay off immediately: reliability issues early in the season prevented Vandoorne and Alonso from competing in the Bahrain and Russian Grand Prix, and the powertrain remained significantly less competitive than those of its rivals. Alonso's frustration reached its peak when he skipped the Monaco race to compete in the Indianapolis 500, seeking success elsewhere. At the end of the season, Honda's difficulties threatened to sink McLaren even further down the standings. The only glimmer of hope came with the announcement of a new partnership between Honda and Sauber, an initiative that could accelerate development, but not before 2018. Until then, Honda will have to spend the entire season trying to meet the high expectations it has set for itself as an engine supplier, while McLaren will fight to regain points.