McLaren aren’t concerned by the performance of Honda’s new hybrid-V6 engine, but they are about the reliability of the unit which is currently an unknown.
Chairman Ron Dennis was coy when asked about the power output, but described it as “impressive” despite rumours to the contrary and said Honda’s biggest challenge was to design a reliable engine.
“The challenge for our partner Honda is hitting dates and reliability,” said the Briton. “The performance is pretty impressive but of course I can’t share [the figures] with you.”
The team tested the power unit during a filming day at Silverstone and then again a few weeks later in Abu Dhabi where they completed just five laps.
The issues related to an electrical problem according to racing director Eric Boullier, rather than an inherent design flaw.
“The new regulation package is very very complex,” he said. “In Abu Dhabi we did a test and got much data and in that we were already one team as McLaren-Honda.
“I have a strong confidence with our partnership we will win next year [starting] in Melbourne and start a new era together.”
