Honda is investigating the reason for multiple engine failures this weekend in Bahrain as the poor performance of its power unit continues.
The Japanese manufacturer has once again failed to deliver on both performance and reliability, with McLaren in the lower reaches of the midfield after two disappointing outings in Australia and China.
During pre-season testing in Barcelona, it emerged vibrations from the power unit led to a number of failures and a limited amount of running.
This weekend in Bahrain has seen three further failures, all from the MGU-H, with two for Stoffel Vandoorne on Friday, and another for Fernando Alonso during qualifying which saw him sit out Q2 and consigned him to 15th on the grid.
Honda engine chief Yusuke Hasegawa says it is investigating if the failures are connected as it bids to stave off a recurrence in Sunday’s race.
“During FP3 this morning we were able to complete our practice programme as planned to find suitable qualifying and race settings,” he said.
“Unfortunately this afternoon in qualifying we had to end Fernando’s Q2 session prematurely after detecting an MGU-H issue. We are still investigating to find out exactly what the issue is and whether or not it’s related to Stoffel’s issues yesterday.”
As lead driver, Alonso has been openly critical of the performance of the engine supplier, lamenting the fact that McLaren doesn’t ‘have a competitive power unit to fight at the front’.
With 20 races this season, each car gets four complete power units for the year. Vandoorne is now on his third in three races, and Alonso is on his second, which suggests the team could be taking multiple penalties for going over its allocation.
The recent failures come on the back of rumours that McLaren is considering a return to Mercedes power in the future as it grows frustrated with Honda’s consistent failure to meet expectations.
