Honda to bring 'Spec 3' power unit to Austria
- Published on 27 Jun 2017 12:46
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- By: Fergal Walsh
Honda has confirmed that they will bring a 'Spec 3' power unit to the Austrian Grand Prix, after testing in Baku was deemed successful. The power unit so far has caused massive headaches with the Honda camp, as McLaren, who is the only current team running with Honda engines, sit last in the constructor standings.
Fernando Alonso ran with the upgraded power unit in Azerbaijan free practice, with Honda cheif Yusuke Hasegawa confirming that both Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne will be equipped with the upgrade for the rest of the season.
"Although we still saw a big gap to the front-runners, it was a great result if we consider that we started from the back of the grid on what is a very power-hungry circuit," said Hasegawa. "For the next round in Austria, we are scheduled to bring our updated Spec 3 PU for both cars following the successful test in Azerbaijan. In the meantime, we will continue our development with our best efforts in order to continue closing the gap."
Despite the improvement, Stoffel Vandoorne said Honda was clearly the least powered engine in the field on the long Baku straight after a minor upgrade was brought to that race: "We were faster than the Saubers but we could not do anything against them on the straight," he told the Belgian broadcaster RTBF.
"I think with the power deficit that we have, the team deserved its first points after a very difficult period for us. But there is still a lot of work to be done. We are still a long way behind."
Fergal Walsh
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Replies (19)
Login to replyf1fan0101
Posts: 1,804
Is it focused on speed or reliability?
Kevin
Posts: 5,294
Both. It features new Castrol fuel, new turbo, MGU-H, better injectors, and new mapping. Alonso ran it in FP1 and FP2 in Baku, and he was around 15 kph quicker than Vandoorne with the older engine. Hasegawa said it was good for more than just 2 or 3 tenths around Baku. Hopefully it enables the team to get both cars into Q3 in Austria.
Next update, Spec 4, is to be expected after the Summer break, so around Spa.
krommenaas
Posts: 155
Where did you get that spec 4 info Kevin?
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
A spec 4? Nice. Honda sure seem to make the most of the free engine upgrading. Mind, its not really a B-spec, but improvements are welcome.
15kph is quite a lot. Didnt they have a 20 something kph deficit to some of their rivaling teams in speedtraps a few races ago? At this rate, and with the chassis they currently have, even such a reduction could be significant for them.
Kevin
Posts: 5,294
It was mentioned on one of the Honda fan forums (vtec), and on many other sites as well. Although there seems to be confusion about the numbering of the update. Many call the Austria upgrade 2.5, while Hasegawa talks about Spec 3. So, by Honda's terminology, Spa should be Spec 4 then.
Anyway, this is one update, and Spa should be the other. Combustion chamber, pre-combustion chamber, heads and pistons will be redesigned then, according to the info.
Kevin
Posts: 5,294
@CALLE.ITW Yeah, 15 kph seems massive. Not sure how much the deficit was, but they really needed this. It should make them more competitive from Austria forward. Let's just pray it doesn't break apart.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I see. I'll admit that I rarely scroll through fan forums, they tend to be pretty... fanatic... But after a quick peek it does seem like we can expect a spec 4 soon. Not bad. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I do admire Honda's tenacity. They really try. Lets hope it'll amount to something. From the sound of it, they probably want to amend the vibrations, thus increasing reliability while at the same time adding power with better bits. Less vibrations will also increase drivability further. I suspect we'll see some kind of MGU-H upgrade or such aswell, that component really is a weakspot in terms of reliability for them as it stands today.
I did a quick look, and in Russia, they were indeed about 20kph behind the others on the straights. So going from that to 5, assuming the other's pace is somewhat constant, is a massive difference. Might actually bring them up to compete with Haas and the others. We'll see. Meanwhile, keep dreaming! Honda is powered by dreams! ;)
Kevin
Posts: 5,294
Yeah, true fanatics on that forum. Some of them claim no one will remain McLaren fan if Honda leaves lol.
I am sure Honda is working really hard, but it's all going too slow. It took them till race 8 to bring an update (new MGU-H was already fitted last weekend, thus the double finish I guess), and now till race 9 to unlock more power with another update. I would have expected a fix for the MGU-H much sooner. To close the gap they will really need to up their game. I believe they were 90-100 bhp short to Mercedes at the beginning of the season. If this update and next update combined deliver 60 bhp it's a great development, but still 30-40 bhp short, while the other teams are also improving. We'll have to wait and see. I'm slightly optimistic, but I try to temper my expectations after the last 2 years :p
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Yeah, many of them are probably just fanatics rather than actual Honda fans. I'd be a bit disappointed if they were to split, a thing thats getting more real by the day, but I cant blame McLaren for leaving.
Well, it is, but my guess is that they wanted to be sure that the upgrade would work, try to go to the root of the problem before releasing an update. They were very quick on bringing new mappings and configs to their engine, something Renault has waited until now pretty much to launch, but this update took it's time. Though unlike Renault (and Im disappointed by how fast Renault has given up on this season), they havent given up on this season, but are pushing to get somewhere, and I respect that attitude. But McLaren and many fans need results of some sort. 60HP doesnt sound realistic, even if we take the spec 3's 15 hp boost into consideration. It would have to be a pretty drastic upgrade. But who knows? I dont really expect anything at this rate, I like them, and will continue to cheer for them, but results are appreciated.
Kevin
Posts: 5,294
Well, it is claimed Spec 3 is 30HP and that the Spa update should be another 30HP. Surely, because they are so far back, they should be able to make massive gains. I have no clue how bhp is determined with these engines though, but if Spec 3 is indeed good for 12-15 kph and Spec 4 for another 10 kph, McLaren-Honda could surprise at the end of the season. In that respect, it's indeed a shame Renault has given up already. They are updating their mappings, but that's it. If they'd put some effort in, you'd expect them to be able to close the gap with Mercedes, as the Renault isn't that far off. Without the tokens this season, they should have taken full advantage.
I don't mind too much though, it at least gives Honda the chance to close the gap and McLaren to take the fight to the Red Bulls ;)
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
30? That sounds a bit much. But will be interesting if that is true, and I hope it is true for both upgrades. I completely agree with you. Its better to do what Honda is doing, try to save this season while also building a stable foundation for the next.
It is calculated in the exact same way as everywhere else: raw engine power excluding effects from e.g gearboxes and exhausts. You do also not take the power from the hybrid components into consideration, if memory serves, at least thats the general rule when talking bhp on hybrid cars (such as the Acura NSX and the McLaren P1).
Kevin
Posts: 5,294
I see. But if hybrid power is not taken into account, does bhp still really means something then? Since hybrid technology plays such a big role in this formula.
F1racefan97
Posts: 113
Hopefully it work, because in a race like Baku Alonso should have had at least the chance to get top 5 with a clean race like he had, but that McLaren is so poor it still can only beat the Saubers even with everything that went on in the race
boudy
Posts: 1,168
Is it me or Honda getting some traction in improvements?
mbmwe36
Posts: 533
Not trying to be a smart-a$$, but how do you figure that?
krommenaas
Posts: 155
It's you. Their Baku result is that one of their cars beat the Saubers (would have been both if they hadn't ruined Vandoorne's race with a pit stop in lap 5), but noone else. So no improvement yet.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
They are improving, but will their improvements be enough to convince McLaren to stay? At this rate, Im not sure.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
Each race I become more convinced that with a proper engine, McLaren would have an amazing car that could compete for wins. Granted, it might be all an illusion given that they have a demigod driving one of their cars. Perhaps VanDoorne should be a more accurate reference of where they should be?
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Could be, but not in this race. Vandoorne were severely damaged by poor pit strategy, and had the old spec PU. It wouldnt surprise me if Vandoorne would've gotten 10th or 9th without those issues.