Orihara: Honda is facing a serious test in Spa.

      The upcoming Belgian Grand Prix will be a serious test for power unit manufacturers, as managing energy on the long straights will be a challenging task. Chief Engineer and Head of the Honda Racing team, Shintaro Orihara, stated that the team will continue to gather information in Spa and confirmed the arrival of a new power unit version at the Zandvoort stage.

      Shintaro Orihara: "From an energy management perspective, the upcoming stage will be a serious test for all manufacturers. We need to determine how to best utilize the MGU-K power on the long straights.

      The opportunities for energy recovery in Spa are quite limited, even despite the long length of the track. Therefore, it is especially important to distribute the use of electrical energy correctly. Additionally, the long straights put a high load on the power unit in terms of both performance and reliability.

      Before the new engine arrives, we have two more stages to go. It is very important to continue gathering information on the current version of the power unit so that we can use this data at the next tracks with long straights, such as Monza.

      Another unknown remains the changeable weather in Spa. The race in Silverstone took place on a dry track, so the Belgian stage could be the first this season where we have to work in full rain. As for the weather, anything is possible in Spa."