Honda to test new engine in Bahrain

Yusuke Hasegawa

(GMM) Honda is working hard to have a new specification of its struggling 2017 engine ready to test after Bahrain.

After the China-Bahrain double header, teams will remain on the island Kingdom for a rare in-season test, and sources in Japan claim Honda wants to have an improved power unit to run.

According to Spain's Marca newspaper, Honda chief Yusuke Hasegawa acknowledged that the problem at the moment is with "the combustion engine".

The report said: "If it (the new engine) is above all reliable, and more powerful, it could debut at the fourth race in Russia, which is one race earlier than expected."

Hasegawa said: "We do not want to set a date for this improvement, but we can do as many changes as we want because there are no tokens this year.

"As soon as it is ready, we will use it," he added.