Honda can match Mercedes next season according to the company’s motorsport chief Yasuhisa Arai who, despite rumours to the contrary, insists they are on target with their power unit development programme.
“We are absolutely within our development plan,” he told the official F1 website. “Our engine – or more precisely our power unit – is ready for a whole system check.”
McLaren and Honda also considered running the unit in the rear of the MP4-29 during the Abu Dhabi test, but Arai insists the Jerez test ahead of the 2015 season will be the first time they run the power unit on-track.
“In the next couple of weeks we will run simulations and at the beginning of next year we will start to run on the track – very likely at Jerez. That will very likely be the first time to show the whole car, the Honda engine and the McLaren chassis – the Honda McLaren.”
Speaking about their expectations, Arai is confident Honda can win races in 2015 and therefore match the performance delivered by the Mercedes engine.
“I have confidence that we will match Mercedes,” he added. “I think that the two other engine suppliers [Ferrari and Renault] will recover next season – I strongly believe that. And we will be there too.
“Formula One is a very important part of our strategy – and winning is very important for Honda. We want to raise the awareness of our brand and I trust – I am a firm believer – that we will win races next year. And that will send out a very positive signal for our brand on a global basis.”
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