Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsMcLaren

Honda: ‘Keep your expectations high’

Honda has urged fans to keep expectations high ahead of the 2015 season despite a difficult first test.

A lack of running at Jerez - with just 79 laps completed in total - has left McLaren-Honda on the back foot heading in to the second pre-season test at Barcelona next week. However, Honda president and CEO Takanobu Ito is not trying to play down hopes for the new season and says he wants the engine manufacturer to aim for quick success.

“Taking on difficult challenges has been built into Honda’s identity since the foundation of the company,” Ito said. “For over a half century, Honda has been participating in various racing series including F1 to cultivate our true capability as an automaker.

“Now we have an opportunity to demonstrate our true values in F1 racing, the most prestigious automobile race series of them all. We’re going to pursue environmental technologies introduced to F1 racing as part of our challenge is to pursue the ultimate in energy management that will lead to the technological excellence of Honda in the future. The severe environment of racing will also cultivate the development of professional human resources.

“Through new technologies and human resources cultivated in the extreme environment of F1, Honda wants to create innovation. More than anything, we want to live up to the expectations of Honda fans and continue winning. To realise this dream, we take challenges in the F1 with strong determination represented by our corporate slogan – The Power of Dreams. Welcoming two excellent world champion drivers in Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, the McLaren-Honda team is highly-united and of one mind. We will now begin adding a new page to its history. Please keep your expectations high.”

Click here for the full final day gallery from the Jerez test

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.