Honda confident of soon catching engine rival Renault

©WRI2

40

Honda F1 boss Yusuke Hasegawa believes the Japanese manufacturer can continue its rate of progress and catch Renault by the end of the season.

Following appalling reliability and performance from the outset of the 2017 season, the McLaren-Honda partnership found itself in crisis and questioning its future.

But recent progress by Honda has lifted both performance and McLaren's spirits, with the Woking-based outfit scoring a double-points finish in Hungary just before the summer break.

Hasegawa is confident further improvement is on the cards as it puts Renault in its line of sight.

"I think we can keep the same ratio of the increasing of the power but it is difficult to catch up Mercedes or Ferrari," Hasegawa told Motorsport.com.

"I really want to move ahead of Renault in terms of performance before the end of the season.

"I can see that on the data. I will not tell you the number, but we are closing the gap."

Decision time looms for Alonso and McLaren

Hasegawa felt somewhat relieved by McLaren's positive race weekend in Hungary which was followed by a trouble-free two day test at the venue last week.

"I'm glad we were able to show some results," said the engineer.

"We did not see any problems (in Hungary) so it was the first time that I was not worried about finishing the race.

"There is no doubt that we would like to continue to cooperate with McLaren. I think that with better performance we will continue to work together," he added.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.