Honda shifts F1 strategy, expands consultant involvement
Honda will bring in more external consultants to accelerate progress on its Formula One engine project after a disappointing 2015 season with McLaren.
Honda has decided to increase its use of external consultants in an effort to address the performance shortfall that plagued its Formula One engine programme in 2015. The shift comes after a season in which McLaren-Honda struggled to compete with the front-runners, finishing ahead only of the backmarker Manor team.
Earlier in the year, Honda had resisted calls to bring in experienced Formula One engine personnel from outside the company, preferring to rely on its in-house team. This approach was in line with the company’s traditional preference for developing technology internally. However, after a season marked by reliability problems and a clear power deficit compared to Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault, Honda has opted to change course.
Consultant-led approach replaces staff recruitment
According to reports from Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, Honda will not directly hire foreign engineers or embed them at its Sakura technical centre. Instead, the company will expand its use of consultants with Formula One experience. Gilles Simon, formerly of Ferrari and the FIA, has already been working with Honda in a consulting capacity rather than as a full-time employee.
The decision to rely on consultants rather than permanent hires reflects both Honda’s desire to protect its internal culture and the practical need for rapid technical progress. The company’s F1 power unit, introduced in 2015, was widely regarded as underpowered and unreliable compared to rivals. The new approach is intended to accelerate development without fundamentally changing the composition of Honda’s engineering team.
Expectations for 2016 season
McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso have both indicated they expect a stronger showing in 2016, citing the scale of development work underway. Button has publicly stated that he anticipates “massive progress” over the winter, while Alonso has said the team is following a direction that should yield better results than in 2015.
Both drivers acknowledged that Mercedes and Ferrari remain the benchmarks, but believe Honda’s technical deficit is not insurmountable. The team’s 2015 results placed them well behind the leading teams, but internal figures reportedly suggest that Honda’s numbers are already ahead of where Renault and Ferrari were at a similar stage in their hybrid engine development.
Consultancy approach in context
Honda’s move to expand its consultancy network comes at a time when Formula One engine development is increasingly collaborative, with manufacturers seeking expertise from a global pool of specialists. While Honda remains committed to its Japanese engineering base, the use of external consultants is a pragmatic response to the demands of modern F1 power unit development.
The effectiveness of this strategy will become clearer during the 2016 pre-season tests, when McLaren-Honda’s performance relative to its rivals can be properly assessed. For now, the team is focused on closing the gap and restoring Honda’s reputation in Formula One.
