Honda share 'secret' details over F1 engine upgrade

Honda has offered an insight into the “secret” details behind its upgraded engine.

The new part will be fitted to the back of Aston Martin's challenger at the Dutch Grand Prix later this month, when the season resumes at the end of the summer break.

It follows Aston Martin's own upgrade, which was brought into play in Budapest last month.

Both Aston Martin and Honda have faced their own struggles this year during their first year in partnership - but Honda is hopeful its first significant upgrade will offer a step forward.

“We focused to improve engine performance, to make combustion faster,” Honda's chief F1 engineer Shintaro Orihara said.

“So it's kind of a secret, but I can disclose a little bit. We changed the pre-chamber to make combustion faster, and we also changed the piston shape to get good combustion. 

“We modified some lubrication system to reduce friction. We had quite a big list to improve engine performance.”

Aston Martin's own upgrade delivered a notable step forward in performance, a jump that Honda is aiming to replicate with its own development.

When asked how much extra horsepower he is expecting it to produce, Orihara said: “I can't disclose the detailed number, but we have achieved our internal target.

“I'm confident in what the HRC Sakura factory guys achieved for the spec two engine.

“We are excited to bring a new spec engine to the Netherlands, and we will see where we are.