2017 Pre-Season Testing: Barcelona

Even when its running it sounds broken. Will go down as one of F1's greatest failures. I am sure the 2004 Mclaren wasn't as bad.

 

Not much testing from McLaren today, I suppose they're not in dire need of improvement so it's all good.

 

Ha ha. For God's sake

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/129068/mclaren-confused-by-sudden-honda-reliability

 

No good is it. Even admitting it in public seems silly.
Honda are seemingly more and more lost by the day.

 

is it simply quality control issues during the manufacturing of all the components? Do Honda lack the in-house expertise, or basic engineering knowledge, to produce the high end quality items on a consistent basis required for an F1 engine?

no two engines seem to be the same! Either they are reliable or there are constantly different issues with them.

 

That is a very good point. I seem to remember reading somewhere that as most F1 teams are UK based there is a huge engineering expertise for manufacturing components. These components maybe electrical ones that teams are not expert in but they are able to put huge pressure on the external companies to work very fast, and make improvements on the components as they are used to F1 demands. As the companies are used to working with F1 they understand what is expected in quality and time.
It might well be that either Honda don't have access to local companies that can manufacture to the limits F1 requires or they are trying to produce everything in-house and they don't have the experience.

I also read that Honda move their young engineers through the F1 dept quite quickly so what they learn is transferred to the rest of the company!!!!! Seems like they need a bit more long term thinking. The F1 team need the young engineers to learn and to evolve their knowledge to improve the PU. Just having say a 6 month stint in the F1 dept will not yield the results they need.

It's almost like Honda need a B team to train engineers and try out ideas then once they have matured integrate these components into the works team.

I fear Honda are making themselves a lost cause. They seem not to be learning from mistakes. It's almost like the individual departments with in Honda F1 don't share best practice. So just as they get 1 component reliable it puts pressure on the others and then they fail. I fear Honda are such a big company that the comparatively small F1 dept will not be able to change methods of company working..