Honda Head of F1 Project Yusuke Hasegawa believes the team made a decent step forward in Malaysia, at a circuit that on paper should not really have suited the McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team package.
Hasegawa feels that the result showed not just the solid performance of the McLaren chassis, but the improvement they have made on the power unit front too.
“The Malaysian Grand Prix proved to be another positive result for the team.
“Stoffel maintained his momentum from Singapore and brought home more precious points, and the result was even more impressive when you consider that this is a tough, power-hungry circuit.
“I think today we were able to prove the progress of both our car and power unit.”
Another plus point for the McLaren Honda squad was that they had absolutely no reliability worries all weekend, and that is definite progress according to Hasegawa, considering the hot temperatures they were subjected to in Malaysia.
“Stoffel made a good start and was able to keep position until the end of the race. He showed very consistent pace and maintained the gap to his rivals chasing from behind. I think he did a brilliant job all weekend.
“Fernando also had some good battles and overtakes, and it was a shame that he finished just outside of the top 10.
“Overall, it was a decent step forward for us that we could secure points at this potentially difficult circuit. Our reliability was also good throughout the weekend, even in the hot conditions.”
The Honda Executive Chief Engineer is now hoping they can continue their strong performance in Japan, and give their home fans something to cheer about this weekend.
“Now we are heading to our home grand prix in Suzuka and I hope we can continue our momentum and give our fans a great race.”
