If there's one manufacturer that knows what it's like to start the F1 season with a false start, it's Honda. After years of start-up problems, the Japanese seem to have it all together for their final season in the sport. Toyoharu Tanabe, however, remains his stoic self.
Two test sessions at the top of the timesheet, no major reliability issues and a second team [Alpha Tauri] that seems a serious candidate for the title of best of the rest this season. It could be a reason for jubilation at Red Bull and Honda, but they are far from wanting to cheer too soon. Honda boss Tanabe dicussed this in the Honda press release.
"The first two sessions of the new season went reasonably smoothly and overall it was a good day for both our teams. We have the unusual situation of the first race taking place at the same circuit where we tested two weeks ago, so it was straightforward to establish a baseline for PU and chassis."
Adjustments due to shorter sessions
"From an operational point of view, this was the first Friday with the two sessions reduced from 90 minutes each to 60 and we adapted our programme accordingly. However, we were still able to complete all the set-up programme we had scheduled for today. All four drivers did a good job with no mistakes," said Tanabe.
