Honda in race for upgrade in Canada

Japanese manufacturer Honda are on the brink of a major update package for their power-unit.

But unfortunately for McLaren, Honda do not appear to be quite ready to introduce the new power-unit, which has seen improvements made to the internal combustion engine (ICE) with tweaks also planned for the turbine.

‘I don’t give up and we are trying very hard [to be ready] but until Thursday [before the race], I can’t decide,’ Honda Formula 1 boss Yusuke Hasegawa told motorsport.com.

‘Already, we have had some performance [from the update], but if it is very small, it’s not worth changing engine for the next one.

‘We have some other elements in development, we can introduce it if we can set up and if we can check the reliability. Everything is not ready. But we have some factors [that are].

‘Maybe we stick with the next step of the engine, even if the next step up is very small, or can we try another step up in performance? It’s very tight to introduce a big update for Canada.’

McLaren and Honda would like to introduce a new power-unit that offers both improved performance and reliability as McLaren Honda re the only team on the grid that has failed to score a single 2017 Formula One World Championship point.

Not only that, but two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso returns to the team following his American escapade.

The Spaniard didn’t compete in Monaco, opting instead to enter the Indy 500 with a McLaren-Honda-Andretti entry.

Alonso improved during the race and pulled off some stunning manoeuvres during his first experience of Oval racing.

He led a number of laps and looked competitive enough to challenge for the victory, only to cruelly and ironically, suffer a Honda engine failure which forced his retirement.

It was Alonso’s second engine problem during his time at Indianapolis as he also had to have an engine change prior to qualifying.