Ahead of the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Honda Formula 1 chief Yusuke Hasegawa is confident the McLaren-Honda MP4-31 can achieve a strong result this weekend.
Honda last achieved victory around the streets of Monte Carlo in 1992 with Ayrton Senna at the wheel of the McLaren MP4/7A, while McLaren took their last win in 2008 with Lewis Hamilton.
At the last Grand Prix the McLaren team showed promise as Fernando Alonso made it through to Q3 in qualifying as Jenson Button narrowly missed out and Hasegawa sees the Circuit de Monaco as a perfect chance to be competitive throughout the Grand Prix, as the focus on performance from the engine is neutralised and the focus is on the chassis.
“Heading to the Monaco Grand Prix is always special. There is so much history and it’s such an iconic race for Formula 1,” said Hasegawa. “The street circuit itself is a complex and technical circuit, albeit with low overall speed. I believe that our car is rather suited to this type of circuit, so if we can squeeze out the full potential through good balance of the power unit and chassis, I think we have a chance to be competitive throughout the weekend.
“The narrow track and tight corners of this circuit will test any driver, but we have two world-class drivers with skill and experience, so I am looking forward to seeing what this weekend will bring for us. The new Ultrasoft compound will debut in Monaco for the first time, so we are hoping that it will be an exciting race.” he added.
