Breaking news
Formula 1 Russian GP
McLaren duo get engine reliability update for Russia
McLaren's Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne will receive a MGU-H reliability update from Honda for this weekend's Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix following a series of problems in Bahrain.
Lawrence Barretto
Edited: Apr 24, 2017, 4:30 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Recurring MGU-H issues led to Alonso's engine failing in Bahrain GP qualifying, while Vandoorne failed to start the race, with the cause believed to relate to the same component.
Honda made temporary fixes to avoid a repeat of the problems during the two-day test that followed in Bahrain, with Vandoorne able to complete a full testing programme without problems on day two.
Since then, the Japanese manufacturer has been working on solving the problem and has moved to implement countermeasures.
Motorsport.com has learned both drivers will run new MGU-H components that have been updated for reliability in Russia, but it is believed it is not a brand new spec.
It means Vandoorne will use his fourth MGU-H of the season, meaning any subsequent change will lead to a grid penalty. Alonso will use his third.
"After a disappointing grand prix weekend in Bahrain, we have since had an extremely busy few days during in-season testing, also at the Bahrain International Circuit," said Honda chief Yusuke Hasegawa.
"The team has been working hard to implement some countermeasures to help combat our MGU-H issues.
"By the second day of testing, we think we were able to confirm the direction of our solution against the issue after completing 81 laps with Stoffel behind the wheel."
Vandoorne said the spirit of the whole team was lifted after McLaren encountered a trouble-free day on day two of the test in Bahrain.
"After a difficult couple of weeks, the last day of the Bahrain test was very encouraging, both for me and for the whole team," he said.
"It was a boost we needed and provided us with a lot of useful information about the direction we are taking the whole package in, so we go to Sochi with a better feeling than we had on Sunday night after a disappointing race."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Sauber close to Honda engine deal for 2018
Next article McLaren: We couldn't let Alonso's competitive streak "die"
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Lawrence Barretto
Sirotkin, Stroll to have two race engineers each
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sirotkin, Stroll to have two race engineers each
Hamilton "sacrifice" saved Mercedes an hour of testing
Formula 1
Formula 1
Hamilton "sacrifice" saved Mercedes an hour of testing
Kubica regrets being "too honest" about driving limitations
Formula 1
Formula 1
Kubica regrets being "too honest" about driving limitations
More from
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso backs IndyCar Barcelona race but warns against wider global expansion
IndyCar
IndyCar
Fernando Alonso backs IndyCar Barcelona race but warns against wider global expansion
On this day: Fernando Alonso wins the world title, Michael Schumacher retires from F1
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brazilian GP
On this day: Fernando Alonso wins the world title, Michael Schumacher retires from F1
More from
McLaren
Lando Norris laments "very bad job" in qualifying for F1 United States GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Lando Norris laments "very bad job" in qualifying for F1 United States GP
"We're just a step behind" - what McLaren is trying to solve with its final 2026 upgrades
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
"We're just a step behind" - what McLaren is trying to solve with its final 2026 upgrades
Latest news
Winners and losers from F1's United States Grand Prix
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
9 min
Winners and losers from F1's United States Grand Prix
Kyle Larson all but clinches NASCAR championship with Dega win
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
14 min
Kyle Larson all but clinches NASCAR championship with Dega win
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. explains why he lost Talladega Cup race
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
1 h
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. explains why he lost Talladega Cup race
Denny Hamlin blasts Next Gen as "sports car not meant to be running 200mph”
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
1 h
Denny Hamlin blasts Next Gen as "sports car not meant to be running 200mph”
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe