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Yusuke Hasegawa was moved off the F1 project at the end of last year. There have also been changes on Honda’s side. The result, at least from early data, is improved reliability and better performance. Toro Rosso found a way to accommodate that change. Honda were keen to increase the length of its engine by a fraction. It is those littles things that can make a big difference.įor Toro Rosso, this is an equal partnership. They created a bespoke Japanese menu to sit alongside the typical Italian cuisine they serve as a gesture.
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It takes time, but progress is already being made.Īt pre-season testing, as Honda did not have their own hospitality unit, Toro Rosso hosted their personnel. Toro Rosso have worked to alleviate those fears. Some Honda personnel were initially shy when making requests of Toro Rosso since, in Japanese culture, it is traditional to show deference to the more senior worker. Toro Rosso are also a smaller organisation and it is those two factors that allow them to be more relaxed and open with partners. Toro Rosso aren’t a front-running team, at least not yet, and so Honda faces less pressure compared to when working with McLaren, a team that have a history of winning championships. In return, Honda staff have a clearer direction that helps them better explain their challenges. The nuances are becoming clearer, Toro Rosso are starting to understand where they need to reword what they say and where they need to push. The seminars provided the catalyst to get people talking. Team principal Franz Tost knows the seminars won’t solve everything – but they are a start and a basis for both sides to get off on the right foot.
Honda f1 2018 series#
Toro Rosso hosted a series of seminars at Faenza, aimed at giving team members a better understanding of Japanese culture. The results were already evident at testing. Toro Rosso are keen to avoid a repeat and have put their arms around Honda. Much has been made of the communication problems that jammed a wedge between McLaren and Honda. Now they had an other half whose focus is to meet their needs.
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No longer are they bottom of the customer pecking order, waiting for an engine to be delivered rather than working with a partner towards seamless integration. Toro Rosso signed the works partner they have long craved. Many said Toro Rosso were making a mistake: Why drop a Renault engine, which in the back of a Red Bull was winning races last year, in favour of the worst engine on the grid?īut there was method in the perceived madness. The Toro Rosso partnership offers them a chance for redemption. Ultimately, they decided to stay and fight, signing a three-year deal with Toro Rosso. The McLaren-Honda relationship deteriorated and subsequently ended. Repeated breakdowns characterised pre-season. Then they discovered an issue with the oil tank design at testing. First there was a problem bolting the engine into the new McLaren. The Japanese manufacturer gambled on introducing a new engine concept. It is only testing, of course, but as Lawrence Barretto explains, the early signs point to the start of a happy marriage. Pre-season testing was nothing short of a major success for Formula 1 newlyweds Toro Rosso and Honda - and a remarkable turnaround considering their individual struggles in 2017.