McLaren urges Honda to recruit from rivals

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McLaren racing director Eric Boullier has urged Honda to recruit employees from rival engine manufacturers Ferrari and Mercedes to help speed up development.

Honda returned to F1 this season, one year after the V6 turbo power unit regulations were introduced. Mercedes has dominated under the current rules so far having committed to its project well in advance of 2014, while Ferrari made a major step forward this season after getting its concept wrong last year. Honda, meanwhile, has struggled for reliability, though it showed signs of improvement in Hungary.

Asked by F1i during an exclusive interview if Honda has been hurt by not being in F1 before the current power unit regulations were introduced, Boullier replied: “Yeah, definitely.

“Honda could have bought some experience from other engine manufacturers and maybe should actually. We would recommend it just because to make sure you go faster and you accelerate your development program because they have solutions ready to fix things, or maybe some understanding.”

However, when asked at Silverstone if Honda would be looking to recruit from the likes of Ferrari or Mercedes, motorsport boss Yasuhisa Arai replied: “I don’t think so. We have enough resources already.”

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