The Australian Grand Prix will provide Honda with the first signs of where it needs to focus its development this season.
Honda has been working on making major improvements to its power unit over the winter following a disappointing first season back in F1 in 2015. The signs from pre-season testing were encouraging, with improved reliability and a clear step forward in performance between tests as a result of changes to power unit settings.
Honda's head of F1 project Yusuke Hasegawa says the Japanese manufacturer will use the first race in Melbourne to gauge where it is still lacking compared to its competitors.
"As a season-opener, the street circuit of Albert Park is a strenuous track for the drivers, car and the power unit, so it will no doubt be a difficult race," Hasegawa said. "The circuit is flat, narrow, slippery and fast, which makes the whole weekend unpredictable.
“That said, we are eager to see what the package is capable of out on track. During the short winter months, we worked hard to address the issues encountered in 2015, and during the two weeks of testing in Barcelona, we were able to confirm the fundamental power unit set-up for 2016.
"The logical next step is to test and show our progress on track, which will begin to shape the course of our development for this year."
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