Honda says engine ERS now on a par with Mercedes

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Honda's Yusuke Hasegawa, who heads the manufacturer's efforts in F1, believes the efficiency of its power unit's Energy Recovery System is now on the same level as Mercedes' ERS.

The unit's energy recovery capabilities were Honda's Achilles heel last season when McLaren endured a dismal 2015 which saw it linger at the tail end of the grid all year round.

Honda therefore focused most of its development work last winter on improving its power unit's ERS, with Hasegawa now claiming that progress has brought it up to the level of Mercedes' engine, as McLaren-Honda's recent performance uplift in qualifying has demonstrated.

"From an energy recovery system point of view, we have already achieved our target, which is already on Mercedes level," the Honda F1 chief said.

"Our recovery system's performance is not very different to the top teams, I am very confident about that.

Honda's will now likely zoom in on an internal combustion update, for which it has yet to spend part of its remaining 12 development tokens.

"There is always some room to improve, but definitely we need to concentrate more on the internal combustion engine performance," Hasegawa concluded.

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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.