Honda unveils its reorientation plan!

Honda Racing plans to make another significant update to its cars mid-season before fully focusing on the 2009 car.

The team principal, Ross Brawn, has repeatedly spoken about the difficulties of balancing the development of the RA108 and the preparations for the RA109, as new regulations will make the task more complicated for engineers and other designers.

After an encouraging start to the season, Brawn confirmed the planned updates for the Spanish Grand Prix.

When asked about the timeline for updates and more specifically the scope of the advancements that will be undertaken, Brawn stated: « The extent of this update is quite limited, but it still represents a good step. »

« Traditionally, all teams make a step in terms of competitiveness for the first European race, so we will have to take that into consideration. »

« The plan is to carry out an update for more than half of the season, then we will really need to focus on the resources to use for 2009, » he added.

The 2009 program has already started and with each passing month, we dedicate a little more resources to it. The mid-season aerodynamic update will be completed by the end of May, early June, and then we will focus on next year.

« I think the team feels a little more confident. It’s a great performance to have reached Q3 in Bahrain. For us, it’s synonymous with reward, remembering where we come from. »

And although this initial change in the direction of the 2009 Honda could provide an advantage over its competitors, Brawn stated that his team will not be able to fight for the title.

« To be frank, it won’t be possible. There are many things that big teams do because they have the structure to do them. »

« When you take on a new set of rules as a new challenge, you have all the tools in place to understand what you need to do and what you need to create. »

« There will be significant differences next season, especially in terms of tires. The top teams are high-ranking teams, which is why we must also take this into account, » concluded the former Ferrari race director.