In a somewhat unexpected trilogy of events, Toro Rosso has partnered with Honda. The Honda power unit has earned a reputation over the past few seasons for being the worst power unit on the grid, crippling the McLaren team.
The news of the deal was well-publicized at the start of the week, having only been confirmed today at the Singapore Grand Prix. The two companies have reached a multi-year agreement, with Toro Rosso having terminated their contract with Renault early.
This deal is just one of three major changes to happen on the grid this week. The first was Carlos Sainz’s move to Renault for 2018 to replace Jolyon Palmer. Sainz is still contracted with Red Bull, on loan to Renault in exchange for allowing Toro Rosso to prematurely cancel their contract with Renault. The second major event also happened earlier today, with McLaren confirming that they will be powered by Renault from 2018 to 2020.
Franz Tost, the Toro Rosso team principal, discussed the partnership in a team press statement:
“Everyone in our team is very much looking forward to working with Honda. Ever since its founder Soichiro Honda entered his motorcycles in events, racing has always been a central part of the company’s ethos. It’s a very exciting challenge and I hope that both parties will gain a great deal from it as we develop together. Honda has a long history in Formula 1, dating back to 1964 when it first entered the sport with its own team and, as an engine supplier it has taken five Drivers’ World Championship titles and six Constructors. This heritage, together with the full confidence that we have in Honda’s capabilities to succeed, make me strongly believe that we will achieve a fruitful future together.”
The deal comes rather late in the season, meaning that development work will need to start right away to ensure that the chassis adjustments can be made in time for the 2018 season.
James Key, the Toro Rosso technical director, explained the concerns over the development challenge upon the team:
“We are very pleased with our new partnership with Honda and the opportunities this presents, and we start to work immediately. It will be a question of adaption of our plans rather than a wholesale change and we are in the process of re-planning our design and production activities in conjunction with Honda to ensure that we both hit all our important deadlines. There are some challenges to face given the time of year but Toro Rosso has faced many difficult tasks with timing in the past and has the flexibility to deal with it. We will be working hard not to only re-design the PU installation but also ensure that this has minimal or no effect on the ongoing development work for 2018 – that is our current target. The architecture of the car will change in line with the PU requirements and our chassis and gearbox designs are currently under review to be adapted accordingly, similarly we will be working closely with Honda on the performance aspects of the PU installation that the chassis will influence to ensure we maximise the potential of the package as a whole from the outset. We look forward to a strong, stable and proactive partnership with our colleagues at Honda.”
Honda has told other media sources that it is targeting a top three performance in 2018. This is a rather ambitious goal for the engine supplier to make, given their lack of performance and lack of improvement over their past three seasons with McLaren. It will be interesting to see if Honda will be able to deliver on that goal.
