Honda Faces Turbo Lag Issues Despite Power Unit Upgrade

Honda is experiencing ongoing turbo lag issues even after implementing its second ADUO upgrade in Madrid. This problem has affected the driveability of its power units on energy-rich circuits, leading to disappointing performance in the Singapore Grand Prix.

Following a successful race in Malaysia, expectations were high for Aston Martin in Singapore. However, Fernando Alonso noted difficulties with the Honda power unit, prompting Honda to investigate the issue further. Despite thorough checks at their Sakura facility, no specific hardware faults were identified, and the turbo lag issue resurfaced.

Honda's chief trackside engineer acknowledged that the unique track layout in Singapore exacerbated the turbo lag, which had previously been a concern with the new power unit introduced at Zandvoort. Although Honda had hoped the new turbocharger would resolve this, it did not meet expectations. The team is now focusing on improving software and operational settings to better manage turbo lag in future races.