Honda finds no sign of engine fault after Alonso’s Baku retirement

Honda chief engineer Shintaro Orihara said Baku’s long straights had exposed a weakness in the current power-unit package. Honda had tried to reduce the time lost but had run out of options with the tools available for now, he said. His assessment concerned what Honda could do during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, rather than ruling out further improvements.

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll had both taken new power-unit components before the race, putting them at the back of the grid. Neither finished on Saturday. RacingNews365 reports that it was Aston Martin’s fourth double retirement of the season.

Honda said it had also found irregular signals from Alonso’s new engine in second practice and replaced a part after inspecting it. It reported no further engine issue in third practice or qualifying, and said it believed the engine was healthy enough to use for the rest of the season.

Update

Shintaro Orihara told RacingNews365 Nederland that Honda physically inspected Alonso’s engine after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and reviewed maintenance findings, earlier factory data and torque delivery. Those checks showed no indication of an engine problem, he said. Alonso had reported engine trouble after repeatedly losing positions on the straight.

Orihara said variations in the car’s speed compared with earlier sessions, or a different energy strategy, were possible factors; he did not identify either as the cause. Honda plans further checks during practice at the next event, using Alonso’s feedback.