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Honda Managed to Salvage Alonso’s Singapore Engine

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Honda has revealed that Fernando Alonso will be able to reuse the Formula One engine that was in his McLaren when Max Verstappen and Kimi Räikkönen crashed into him at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The crash had been an unfortunate one in the moment, as Alonso had made a quick and opportune start to jump from eighth to third by the first corner before he was T-boned by the crashing Red Bull and Ferrari pair. The damage was significant: there was a massive hole in the exhaust and though Alonso tried to continue for a short time, the electronics failed and the car was forced to retire.


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It could have also been disastrous in the longer term. Each Formula One car must use no more than five different engines throughout the course of the season, with any additional engine used incurring hefty grid penalties. Honda was worried the impact of Alonso’s crash, combined with racing a damaged car, may have put too much strain on the engine and that it would have to put a new one in the car.

Fortunately, and surprisingly, it turns out the engine is fit to be used again. “We were concerned damage may have been irreparably damaged, but fortunately after a thorough check back at the Sakura factory we can confirm it is OK to be re-used,” said Yusuke Hasegawa, Honda’s F1 engine chief.

The upcoming race in Malaysia will be a tough one for McLaren, where the long straights will stretch the capabilities of the engine. However, we saw at Monza that the Honda engine had been improving, as even there Alonso’s rookie teammate Stoffel Vandoorne had managed to place the McLaren-Honda MCL32 in the last Q3 qualifying session.


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News Source: ESPN