Honda's Arai Denies Claim He Promised Ferrari-Level Engine at Spa
Honda F1 chief Yasuhisa Arai rejected reports he had promised an engine upgrade to match Ferrari at the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix, as McLaren-Honda endured a tough weekend.
Honda Formula One chief Yasuhisa Arai has denied making claims that the manufacturer’s upgraded power unit for the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix would match Ferrari’s performance, after McLaren-Honda endured one of its most difficult weekends of the season at Spa-Francorchamps.
In the lead-up to Spa, reports circulated that Arai had promised Honda’s latest engine upgrade would bring its performance in line with Ferrari’s 2015 power unit. However, Arai told media over the Belgian Grand Prix weekend that he had not made such a statement, clarifying that the updates brought to Belgium were not expected to fully close the gap to Ferrari.
The McLaren-Honda partnership arrived at Spa under pressure after a troubled return season for Honda as engine supplier. The anticipated engine upgrade was seen as a possible turning point, but the team’s performance in Belgium fell short of expectations. Both Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button incurred a combined total of more than 100 grid-place penalties, a consequence of multiple power unit component changes required to keep the cars running.
Performance struggles and penalties at Spa
On track, McLaren’s pace was uncompetitive. Button qualified only ahead of the Manor cars, and Alonso joked about their record grid penalties, highlighting the depth of the team’s struggles. Button described his qualifying lap as good by his own standards, yet he still found himself well adrift of the midfield. Both drivers expected a difficult race, with Button suggesting they would be fighting only each other and the Manors, and likely to be lapped by the leaders.
Arai explained that Spa’s high-speed layout and limited practice time made it difficult to fully assess the effectiveness of the new power unit components. He said the upgrades were not as effective as hoped at this circuit, and further development would be needed. Team principal Eric Boullier also downplayed the immediate prospects for a turnaround, but reiterated McLaren’s commitment to its partnership with Honda.
Arai’s comments and media scepticism
Some media outlets, particularly in Spain, expressed growing scepticism about Honda’s public statements and the pace of progress. Arai’s denial of the Ferrari-matching claim came as the team’s performance failed to meet expectations at a high-profile event, further fuelling scrutiny of Honda’s role in McLaren’s ongoing difficulties.
For more on the context of Honda’s F1 project and Arai’s eventual departure, seeBoullier says Arai’s Honda F1 exit followed long-term plan.
