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Honda Will Use Same F1 Engine Concept in 2019

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Honda will use the same Formula One engine design concept in 2019 as the one it introduced in 2017, as it believes the engine still has more potential.

Honda rejoined the sport in 2015 and made solid progress in 2016, but changed its engine package in 2017 and was set back significantly.

McLaren subsequently parted ways with Honda, who joined forces with the Red Bull sister team Toro Rosso in 2018. Its progress in 2018 was strong enough that it convinced the Red Bull team proper to sign with them for 2019.

The manufacturer’s decision to continue to evolve the current engine design will help maintain its reliability. “When you change the concept of the design a lot, it’s very hard to get reliability” said Toyoharu Tanabe, Honda F1 technical director.


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“It depends on the design level but I’m comfortable with carrying over our current concept. We have a new team, a new design of the car. It is a little bit easier to carry over that concept, because the details is in the installation of the car.”

Honda feels that because Toro Rosso and Red Bull Racing as so closely linked, it could also give it a boost as their joint engine supplier. Certainly, it makes the transition to supplying Red Bull in 2019 easier than had it struck a partnership with any other team.

“Toro Rosso and Red Bull has communication and that’s easier for the Red Bull side because Toro Rosso knows our power unit,” Tanabe said. “They can communicate a problem or a kind of concern from the chassis point of view, and they can come back to us.”


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