Alonso reverts to older-spec Honda engine

The Spaniard’s car had been fitted with the new more-powerful ‘Spec 3’ internal combustion engine for the Red Bull Ring event, and his pace looked promising after the opening day of practice.

But overnight Honda detected a problem with the MGU-H, and a decision was taken that it could not risk running it.

With replacing individual components proving very complicated, changing the MGU-H has necessitated a change of the entire power unit. The replacement version will be a 'Spec 2'.

However, with the unit fitted having already been used at a previous event, there will be no grid penalties.

Spec 3 promise

Although the power improvements with the ‘Spec 3’ are still not enough for the Honda to match its rivals in out-and-out straightline speed terms, there has been a boost to performance.

And after Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne produced top-10 pace during Friday practice, Honda’s F1 engine chief Yusuke Hasegawa was encouraged about the situation.

“Of course car performance is not just coming from the PU, so the chassis is also updated and it also depends on circuit characteristics,” he said.

“But yeah, from the data point of view the engine also contributed to some of the laptime improvement so we are very happy about that.”

When asked if he felt that Honda was now on the right path in F1, he said: “I want to tell so, but still it is too early, but definitely are closing up some gap to the frontrunner but it is not huge enough to catch up the top runner level so still we need to try more.”