Honda to Run High Risk Concept in 2017

[Bethonie Waring]

Honda chief Yuske Hasegawa says the manufacturer is taking a high risk with its 2017 Formula One engine as they attempt a new concept.

Since Honda returned to F1 in 2015, the manufactures have failed to meet expectations. Onver the winter break, Honda have completed a radicle new, high-risk design to try to close the gap to their competitors.

“The concept is completely different,” Hasegawa told Autosport. “It’s very high-risk, we don’t know a lot of things about that new concept.

“We know it will give us performance advantage but the biggest risk is whether we can realise that potential this year.”​

Honda will continue to focus on the internal combustion engine this season, but other components need to be developed. Which components, Honda don’t seem entirely sure about.

“If we improve the engine itself, which means boosting exhaust gas energy, we need to boost the turbine otherwise we cannot perform at the same level in terms of deployment,” Hasegawa said.

“We still have to do some tests and there will be some trial and error. I hope we have understood the direction and the elements to focus on.

“But it’s not easy to combine the elements to realise the improvements on the ICE completely.”​

For more Formula One news and discussions head over to the RaceDepartment Formula One sub forum and join in with your fellow community members.

Do you think Honda will be able to close the gap to Renault or Ferrari? Let us know in the comments below!

 

[InsaneOzzie]

Do you think Honda will be able to close the gap to Renault or Ferrari?

One can only hope, F1 needs more on track action, and everyone knows it. If the FIA and Co could just leave the regs alone for a few seasons we might actually see the likes of Honda, Renault, Williams etc catch the front runners.
Now that would be exciting

Cheers & thanks for the F1 updates Bethonie

 

[Andy 'Mars Bar' Graham]

could just leave the regs alone for a few seasons

Problem with keeping the regulations the same for a few years is the regulations are stupid as it is. The cars are designed to make overtaking impossible

 

[InsaneOzzie]

Problem with keeping the regulations the same for a few years is the regulations are stupid as it is. The cars are designed to make overtaking impossible

Agreed, but if given time they may find ways to overcome the aero issues, very clever people some of these F1 engineers & techies

 

[Andy 'Mars Bar' Graham]

Agreed, but if given time they may find ways to overcome the aero issues, very clever people some of these F1 engineers & techies

Very true, but Aero isn't the only problem by the sounds of it

Oh well, let's hope this high risk engine concept actually works so we have as many teams near the front as possible

 

[InsaneOzzie]

Very true, but Aero isn't the only problem by the sounds of it

Oh well, let's hope this high risk engine concept actually works so we have as many teams near the front as possible

Amen to that mate

 

[shimon.ifraimov]

cmon honda, we all want to see alonso on the podium.

 

[Celestiale]

Problem with keeping the regulations the same for a few years is the regulations are stupid as it is. The cars are designed to make overtaking impossible

I wouldn't say impossible..in Formula 1 you see a lot more overtakings then in the DTM - my once favourite racing series - , where regulations really made overtaking after lap 1 pretty impossible and converted the racing series to one of the most boring there is.
But any regulations that prevent overtaking are "stupid", so of course i agree with you. But as it seems they slowly move away from producing so much dirty air behind them..i think the new regulations are a step in the right direction. Would gladly see a "push to pass" with considerable power, like there is in IndyCar. Works like a charm for interesting racing

 

[UMC 22]

Would gladly see a "push to pass" with considerable power, like there is in IndyCar.

Please no! Artificial overtakes are not interesting or exciting, they're lame. They need to focus on making the cars capable of overtaking each other on merit, not creating new "I win" buttons.

 

[Celestiale]

Please no! Artificial overtakes are not interesting or exciting, they're lame. They need to focus on making the cars capable of overtaking each other on merit, not creating new "I win" buttons.

Nothing artificial there...it's no I win button either. Everyone has the same amount of them, so it's rather good tactics when you use them, more then anything. They can't make the cars capable of overtaking each other on merit without taking most of the aero away, is that so hard to understand?
And to your artificial overtakes..there are already changable engine modes, MGU-K modes/KERS, and DRS..we are way way past "artificial overtakes".

 

[Peter Stokman]

I wouldn't say impossible..in Formula 1 you see a lot more overtakings then in the DTM - my once favourite racing series - , where regulations really made overtaking after lap 1 pretty impossible and converted the racing series to one of the most boring there is.
But any regulations that prevent overtaking are "stupid", so of course i agree with you. But as it seems they slowly move away from producing so much dirty air behind them..i think the new regulations are a step in the right direction. Would gladly see a "push to pass" with considerable power, like there is in IndyCar. Works like a charm for interesting racing

You only see overtaking f1 if one is close enough to push the overtake button opening a flap so that there are 2 different cars on track the one with open flap wins
You need to look video,search from the 70 and 80,so then you see what's called overtaking not this F(ake )1

 

[Peter Hooper]

I agree in that I like the push to pass idea. Much preferable to DRS in my view.

On the subject of Honda I really hope this radical new concept works for them because we really need them up the sharp end challenging the big boys. Problem with radical idea's is they can be very hit or miss and if it's the latter it will be a huge blow for them to be struggling again. It was good to see the improvement they made in the second half of last season so let's keep our fingers crossed

 

[Celestiale]

You only see overtaking f1 if one is close enough to push the overtake button opening a flap so that there are 2 different cars on track the one with open flap wins
You need to look video,search from the 70 and 80,so then you see what's called overtaking not this F(ake )1

I know, i know. Same in DTM, but in DTM it's not even enough.
I know that in the 70s it was quite different, next to no aero (at least not sophisticated), hard to drive cars that lead to many small driver errors etc...but we don't have those times anymore. Now do you want those cars back, even if they are slower then classes like DTM or GT500..?! And still call it Formula 1?
I think F1 should always be the fastest contemporary race car - something they almost lost to LMP1 a few years ago - no matter what. And then figure out, how to make exciting races. If it includes push-to-pass and such things, so be it. We can't stay in automotive medieval forever..
Nowadays it's push to pass/DRS, back then it was draft...in the end it makes no difference for the race.

 

[Peter Stokman]

I know, i know. Same in DTM, but in DTM it's not even enough.
I know that in the 70s it was quite different, next to no aero (at least not sophisticated), hard to drive cars that lead to many small driver errors etc...but we don't have those times anymore. Now do you want those cars back, even if they are slower then classes like DTM or GT500..?! And still call it Formula 1?
I think F1 should always be the fastest contemporary race car - something they almost lost to LMP1 a few years ago - no matter what. And then figure out, how to make exciting races. If it includes push-to-pass and such things, so be it. We can't stay in automotive medieval forever..
Nowadays it's push to pass/DRS, back then it was draft...in the end it makes no difference for the race.

i doubt that they were much slower maybe even faster i dont know all i know it was more driver quality to overtake then how fast one can push a button , other regulations other tyres can do a lot already i guess

 

[Andy 'Mars Bar' Graham]

They can't make the cars capable of overtaking each other on merit without taking most of the aero away, is that so hard to understand?

Then maybe they should take a lot of Aero out then. Or maybe bring back Ground Effect cars.... Two good solutions right there