‘Stop-and-go nature’ of Singapore should suit Honda

Honda's head of F1 project Yusuke Hasegawa says the ‘stop-and-go nature’ of the Marina Bay Circuit, which plays host to this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, should suit the Japanese manufacturer.

Despite noticeable progress from Honda this year, partner team McLaren remains some way behind the likes of Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari, especially at power-sensitive tracks like Spa-Francorchamps and Monza

However, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button showed in Monaco and Hungary that the Honda-engined MP4-31 can be in the mix at tighter venues.

“The car set-up will need to change drastically to adjust the package from the fast-paced circuits of Spa and Monza, to Singapore’s twistier city circuit, so the team is already busy in preparation,” Hasegawa said. “Our car has good balance under braking, so the nature of the track should suit us more than the previous circuits.

“Honda will work to match the driveability of the power unit to suit the needs of the stop-and-go nature of the circuit, so that our drivers’ skills can shine throughout the weekend. We hope to be in a good position to score points and have a good race.”

Both Alonso and Button have already set their sights on challenging Ferrari in the later part of the season.

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