Honda has taken measures after Bahrain GP: 'Wasn't without problems'

The Bahrain Grand Prix showed that Honda has made a big step with the new engine. Still, there was no victory for Max Verstappen and also AlphaTauri did not score as many points as hoped. Toyoharu Tanabe hopes for an even stronger weekend in Imola.

With Max Verstappen on pole and Pierre Gasly coming through on medium tyres in Q2 and eventually qualifying fifth, Honda knew after qualifying in Bahrain that the new engine was a success. Of course, the race didn't go entirely to plan, but the package of both Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri has been greatly improved by Honda's new engine.

''The opening round of the season produced encouraging results for both our teams with the Honda PU being fastest in all practice sessions, taking pole and then finishing second, fifth and ninth in the race. However, the Bahrain weekend was not entirely trouble-free, therefore we have been working hard with both teams in this relatively long break before Round 2 to analyse all the data and take countermeasures where required,'' Tanabe said in the preview from Honda.

''The Scuderia AlphaTauri factory is just 15 kilometres from the track, making it their home race, which is a further reason why we at Honda and their team members will be highly motivated to have a strong weekend. Last year, qualifying went very well for them and Red Bull Racing, but the race result did not reflect their true potential, so this time we hope we can have a smooth weekend leading to an excellent performance on Sunday'', concludes Tanabe.