Fernando Alonso admits McLaren could be faced with a dilemma at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, should partner Honda offer the new upgraded Spec 4 power unit.
This weekend will mark the final time the two will work together at Honda’s home race after announcing their collaboration will end after just three seasons in Singapore last month. recent points seventh-place finishes for Stoffel Vandoorne at Marina Bay and Sepang have offered
Since then, it has been confirmed the British team will receive one additional upgrade to the engine in 2017, with the introduction of the full Spec 4 unit, but recent seventh-place finishes for Stoffel Vandoorne at Marina Bay and Sepang have offered hope that they can score more points at Suzuka.
“It is the home Grand Prix for Honda, so we want to do well there,” Alonso commented. “We know how important that race is for the team. About 30-40 percent of our engineers are Japanese, so we have a big moment of the year.
“The families are there, the Japanese fans, they support a lot our team, so it is a very special weekend for us and we want to perform well.”
However: “If there is a new spec engine or any improvements, that will come with a penalty we will start last,” the Spaniard added. “So it is difficult to compensate if we want to start last with an extra horsepower, or do we want to do a perfect weekend and try to score points? We will see.
“It is not up to us. The Honda engineers will tell us if first if there is an evolution ready that we don’t know yet and if there is something ready if it is better to take that opportunity or not. We will see.”
Though Honda’s F1 chief Yusuke Hasegawa didn’t offer any indication as to whether the Spec 4 engine would be available or not if there is a choice between more power + penalty vs. current engine = better result, his position did seem clear.
“It will be our last Japanese Grand Prix as McLaren Honda, therefore it is a special race for the team,” he said. “I myself have strong feelings for this race and I‘m hoping to make it as memorable as possible for both the team and fans.
“After having another positive weekend in Malaysia, we have built up good momentum heading to our home Grand Prix in Japan. We always enjoy going back to our home circuit and being waited for by warm and cheerful Japanese fans. The atmosphere encourages us a lot and we hope we can give them a great race.
“For engineers, it’s a very exciting track as we are able to show our ability in terms of finding the perfect set-up, although we also find it very challenging. The balance of the car will be very important, so we need to make sure we set up the drivability in accordance with McLaren’s chassis requirements.”
