Toyoharu Tanabe was delighted with the performance and reliability of the Honda power unit during pre-season testing, with both Scuderia AlphaTauri and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing completing a good number of laps across the six days.
Tanabe, the Technical Director at Honda, was happy that it was virtually a problem-free testing programme for both teams, with the four drivers – Daniil Kvyat, Pierre Gasly, Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon – going through a number of tests on the power unit as they continued preparation for the 2020 Formula 1 season.
“Six days of winter testing have now ended, and we were able to get through it without any major issues, completing a good number of laps with both teams,” said Tanabe. “Overall it was a very positive session, going through many different tests on the PU and gathering lots of data.
“769 laps with Scuderia AlphaTauri and 780 laps with Aston Martin Red Bull Racing means 1,549 laps and 7,211km in total for Honda and this is quite a respectable mileage.”
“It is too early to talk about the competitiveness of both teams”
Tanabe says it is too early to talk about where the Honda powered teams will be compared to their rivals, with the first race of the season in Australia next month the first time that the genuine pace of each car will be evident.
He also says it will be important for Honda now to analyse the data gathered across AlphaTauri and Red Bull to ensure they go into the season in the best possible position.
“It is too early to talk about the competitiveness of both teams as everyone ran different programmes in varied conditions, such as track temperature, wind, humidity, which all have a significant impact on the modern F1 car,” said Tanabe. “But we can say it was a good preparation for the start of the season.
“Now, we will go through the analysis of data and the PUs themselves that we ran over these six days and that work will continue right up to the very last minute before the opening race. There are only sixteen days to go before we race in Melbourne.
“We’ll be aiming to start the season in good form.”
