17/02/2016
NEWS STORY
Honda has described media reports that its 2016 engine is unreliable as "unfounded".
Days ahead of the launch of the 2016 McLaren-Honda, amidst seemingly endless fire-ups on Twitter, reports have been emerging that there is already concern over the reliability of the Japanese manufacturer's power unit.
Whilst it is acknowledged that the 2016 is more powerful than its predecessor it is claimed that initial tests have been problematic, particularly with regard the turbo which has been increased in size in an effort to resolve last year's power issues.
Spanish publication Marca claims that in spite of the speed of the turbo being reduced overheating is causing great concern.
"Reports on Honda`s power unit performance and reliability are unfounded and speculative," a Honda spokesperson told Pitpass, "and we ask fans and media alike to treat them as such.
"We will not know exactly where we stand until we finish the eight days of testing in Barcelona, so until then we have no further information. We are looking forward to getting back on the track."