Honda facing usual challenges in Russia

Honda Racing boss Yusuke Hasegawa is pinning his hopes  on improved reliability for McLaren's drivers in Sochi, but performance issues will remain.

Honda believes it has solved the specific weakness of its MGU-H component of its power unit which caused more reliability issues in Bahrain.

Following a satisfactory post-race test at Sakhir, Hasegawa is confident the changes are going in the right direction.

"After a disappointing grand prix weekend in Bahrain, we have since had an extremely busy few days during in-season testing, also at the Bahrain International Circuit," he said.

"The team has been working hard to implement some countermeasures to help combat our MGU-H issues.

"By the second day of testing, we think we were able to confirm the direction of our solution against the issue after completing 81 laps with Stoffel behind the wheel.

"The results are testament to the team’s hard work and determination."

• Vandoorne under no pressure to deliver at McLaren

While both Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne would be ecstatic to see the checkered flag o Sunday, putting points on the docket like McLaren achieved last year in Sochi will be a different challenge altogether.

"The nature of the track, with its long straights combined with 90-degree corners, means the race will be stop-start, putting emphasis on the balance of energy management,” he added.

"Unlocking power and managing fuel will also be key.

"We will of course work hard with McLaren during the practice sessions in order to find the best set-up, and we are hoping to show a good performance."

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