本田公布重返F1顶级竞争行列的时间表
本田与阿斯顿·马丁合作的头几个月相当艰难，但本田现在重新展望未来。总工程师折原慎太郎希望通过升级内燃机，让本田在2027年底或2028年初重回F1领先动力单元供应商行列。
本田公布重回F1成为"顶级竞争者"的时间表
总工程师折原晋太郎希望，对本田内燃机的升级能够让这家日本制造商在2027年底或2028年初重新跻身F1顶尖动力单元供应商之列
本田与阿斯顿·马丁合作的最初几个月简直痛苦不堪，但这家日本制造商现在再次向前看。
本田的F1项目在人员方面与其和红牛共度的辉煌岁月已完全不同，这促使本田在一月份意识到，新时代的开端将会很艰难——甚至比预期还要艰难，正如总赛道事务经理兼总工程师折原晋太郎所承认的。
在赞德福特，这家日本厂商将推出今年首个ADUO升级项目，该升级完全专注于内燃机。
这一步旨在让本田在发动机性能方面重返“竞赛领域”，不过要缩小差距还需要进行更多升级。
这项研发工作将持续到2027年，这已经成为幕后工作的一个重大重点。
“2027年，燃油流量率的规则会略有不同，但我们的研发计划仍然不变。我们需要进一步提升燃烧性能。”折原在接受了Motorsport.赛车运动网站的独家采访时说道。
"因此，我们将继续专注于提升我们内燃机的性能，并且希望在2027年为此带来一些更大的进步。这是我们最主要的关注点。"
除了改进内燃机之外，与底盘的整合也是明年的一项关键优先事项。
折手（Orihara）承认，新的发动机和底盘也提供了一个机会，可以更好地将本田动力单元整合进阿德里安·纽维的设计之中。
今年年初，关于纽维据称在最后时刻提出的要求以及随之而来的复杂性，曾有过大量讨论。但随着双方已经积累了一年的合作经验，下个赛季的整合工作有了改进的机会。
“我们正在与阿斯顿·马丁紧密沟通，以便让我们的动力单元更好地整合到他们的新底盘之中。所以，是的，我们现在专注于为2027年研发一台出色的发动机，同时也在幕后与阿斯顿·马丁密切合作。”
尽管开局艰难，本田仍设定了雄心勃勃的目标
本田上一次参与一级方程式的历程同样始于艰难，但最终与红牛和马克斯·维斯塔潘一起赢得了世界冠军。
考虑到目前的困境，位于银石（阿斯顿·马丁）或樱市（本田）的任何人还没有考虑过胜利，更不用说世界冠军了，但过去的历史确实提供了一些信心，相信从长远来看可以再次实现逆转。
当被问及达到本田目标竞争水平的预期时间表时，折原透露：“在一级方程式中很难说出确切的时间范围，因为我们的表现总是相对于其他竞争对手而言的。”
“在夏季休整期之后，我们想回到赛场，同时我们在工厂里努力工作，争取在2027年带来更大的进步，但话又说回来，我们必须现实一点。”
“所以，我认为在2027年初，我们的动力单元也许还不是最好的，但我们会更接近顶尖竞争对手。然后我们会继续努力，我希望在2027年或2028年成为顶尖竞争对手。”
这意味着本田希望在下个赛季结束时或2028赛季开始时重新成为一级方程式的标杆，或者至少重新回到动力单元制造商的领先集团之中。
本田认为一级方程式的转机即将到来，目标是到2027年底或2028年初重回巅峰。
2027年可靠性是否会再次成为问题？
不过，缩小差距并不是本田明年需要考虑的唯一方面。
所有制造商还需要为已公布的燃油流量变化做好准备。这些变化是2027年向内燃机与电力动力58比42平衡更广泛转变的一部分，随后在2028年将按计划达到60比40的比例。
织原说：“其中最具挑战性的部分可能是可靠性。”“即使燃油流量不改变，如果我们要提升性能，仍然需要在我们这边进行可靠性方面的研发。不过这本来就是预料之中的。”
“但现在我们还提高了燃油流量，因此对可靠性的要求会非常大。对我们来说，关键在于改善燃烧，在此之上还要应对燃油流量的提升。”
尽管有这些变化，织原仍然相信本田能够达到所需的可靠性水平。
“这将对可靠性提出很高的要求，而研发时间又相当短。所以我认为这是一个具有挑战性的地方，但多亏了国际汽联（FIA），他们采取了合理的步骤。”
“如果我们在一年内就得到一个很大的数字，那会是一个大问题。但现在他们把它分成了两个步骤，就动力（提升）而言，这是一个合理的数字，考虑到我们还需要照顾比赛的观赏性。这在可靠性方面仍然会有挑战，但我认为这是一个好的决定。”
英文原文
Honda reveals timeline to become a "top competitor" in F1 again
Chief engineer Shintaro Orihara hopes that upgrades to Honda's combustion engine can put the Japanese manufacturer back among F1's leading power unit suppliers by late 2027 or early 2028
The first months of Honda's partnership with Aston Martin have been downright painful, but the Japanese manufacturer is now looking ahead again.
Honda’s F1 project looks completely different from its glory years with Red Bull in terms of personnel, which led Honda to realise in January that the start of this new era would be problematic – even more problematic than expected, as general trackside manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara acknowledged.
At Zandvoort, the Japanese manufacturer will introduce its first ADUO upgrade of the year, which is entirely focused on the internal combustion engine.
That step is intended to bring Honda back into the "racing field" in terms of engine performance, although several more upgrades will be required to close the deficit.
That development is set to continue in 2027, which is already a major focus behind the scenes.
"For 2027, we have slightly different regulations for the fuel flow rate, but still our development programme is the same. We need to improve our combustion performance even further," Orihara said during an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com.
"So, we will still focus on improving the performance of our combustion engine, and we want to bring some bigger steps for that in 2027. That is our main focus point."
Besides improving the internal combustion engine, integration into the chassis is also a key priority for next year
The new engine and chassis also provide an opportunity to better integrate the Honda power unit into Adrian Newey's design, Orihara acknowledges.
At the beginning of this year, there was plenty of discussion about Newey's alleged last-minute requests and the complexity that came with them, but with a year's experience of working together under their belts, there are opportunities to improve the integration for next season.
"We are talking closely with Aston Martin to integrate our power unit better into their new chassis. So, yes, we are now focusing on developing a good engine for 2027 and also working closely with Aston Martin behind the scenes."
Honda sets ambitious target despite difficult start
Honda's previous F1 spell also began in difficult fashion, but ultimately ended with world championships alongside Red Bull and Max Verstappen.
Given the current struggles, nobody in Silverstone (Aston Martin) or Sakura (Honda) is thinking about victories yet, let alone world championships, but the past does provide some confidence that another turnaround can be achieved in the longer term.
Asked about the expected timeline for reaching the competitive level Honda is targeting, Orihara revealed: "It's difficult to say an exact time scale in Formula 1 because our performance is always relative to another competitor.
"After the summer shutdown, we want to go back to the racing field, and then we are working hard in the factory to bring an even bigger step for 2027, but, again, we should be realistic.
"So, I think that at the beginning of 2027, maybe we will not have the best of the power units yet, but we will be closer to the top competitor. And then we keep pushing hard to be top competitor, I hope, in 2027 or 2028."
That means Honda wants to be the benchmark in F1 again by the end of next season or at the start of the 2028 campaign, or at least be back among the leading group of power unit manufacturers.
Honda believes a turnaround in F1 is on the cards and aims to be back at the top by the end of 2027 or early 2028
Could reliability become an issue again in 2027?
Closing the deficit, however, is not the only aspect Honda needs to take into account for next year.
All manufacturers also need to be prepared for the announced fuel flow changes. They are part of the broader shift towards a 58-42 balance between the internal combustion engine and electrical power in 2027, followed by the intended 60-40 split in 2028.
"The most challenging point of that will probably be the reliability," Orihara said. "If the fuel flow rate would not be changed, still reliability developments would be required from our side if we improve the performance. But that is expected anyway.
"But now we increase the fuel flow rate as well, so the demands in terms of reliability will be quite big. For us, it’s about combustion improvement and on top of that the fuel flow rate increase."
Nevertheless, Orihara believes it is feasible for Honda to reach the required level of reliability despite these changes.
"It will be a big demand for reliability and the development time is quite short. So, I think that is a challenging point, but thanks to the FIA they’ve made reasonable steps.
"If we would get a big number in one year, then it would be a big problem. But now that they have split it into two steps, that is a reasonable number in terms of power [increase], considering we need to care for the show as well. It will still be challenging for reliability, but I think it’s a good decision."
Motorsport.com ·
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