Honda expect power surge with Spec-3 PU upgrade

Over the first half dozen races of the season, Honda progress was nothing short of remarkable and appeared to have drawn ahead of Renault, but when the big muscle was needed on Saturday in Montreal they lacked the firepower.

Previewing the forthcoming French Grand Prix weekend, also at a power-hungry venue, Honda tech boss Toyoharu Tanabe, revealed, "At the Paul Ricard circuit we will be running an upgraded Spec 3 Power Unit on Max, Pierre and Daniil’s cars."

"The changes to the previous specification are mainly around the ICE and the turbocharger. In this instance, our engineers at the Sakura, Japan R&D facility have worked closely with other departments within Honda, specifically the Aero engine development department."

"Their work and ours has many common technical features. For example, our 2018 update to the MGU-H, which dramatically improved its reliability, came as a result of our collaboration with them."

"In producing this Spec 3 PU, we have updated the turbocharger thanks to the knowledge and technology of the Aero engine department in the area of aerodynamic design, working alongside turbocharger manufacturer IHI."

"Our test bench data shows a power increase over the previous version of our PU, however we know that we have not yet matched the figures from the manufacturers currently leading the championship."

"But it’s a step in the right direction and we will continue our development throughout the rest of the season, calling on the resources of the whole company.”

"Paul Ricard has a long tradition in F1 and returned to calendar last year. It features a wide variety of corners, including many long radii turns, as well as one of the fastest corners on the calendar, Signes at the end of the Mistral straight," added Tanabe.