Honda F1 engine has vibration issues

Honda struggles could continue in F1

The first signs of issues for Honda's partnership with Red Bull have emerged, as reported in Germany suggested two stumbling blocks have recently been hit in the Japanese marque's development of its 2019 power units, due to be used by Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly.

Autobild has reported that a disagreement between Honda engineers and consultancy AVL – who have previously worked with Ferrari's F1 team – has seen development slow down.

According to Autobild, the issue was confirmed by Dr Helmut Marko and could provide a worrying foreshadowing of things to come. Honda's previous F1 relationship with McLaren was also beset by communication issues that saw the eight-time team champions fall sharply down the grid.

Autobild report that the Honda power units are unable to turn at full capacity due to strong vibrations in the Internal Combustion Engine.

Former Mercedes engine boss Mario Illien has been drafted in an attempt to solve the problem, although one has seemingly yet to be found.

Marko told Autobild of the issue: "For this issue, we are taking appropriate measures."