HondaF1 - Don't give up hope yet!

[gti138]

It seems Honda have written off the RA107 as a failure and are going to debut a new chassis in Canada!

From planet-f1.com



Honda's ghastly start to the 2007 season looks set to lead to drastic changes within the team, including an all-new car in time for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Following on the heels of news that Honda are eager to sign Ferrari's technical director Ross Brawn, whose future is currently up in the air, comes the news that Nick Fry is keen to introduce a new car and restructure the team's personnel.

Honda have struggled with the aerodynamic package of their RA107, which is unstable under braking and hard on its rear tyres. And although the team has tried changes to both the rear and the front, their terrible form continued in Malaysia.

With little sign of improvement or ways for Honda to up the pace of the RA107, The Times reports that the team is now looking to introduce an all-new car in time for mid-June's Canadian GP. According to one report, the new car will be "a complete revamp of the RA107 concept."

Jenson Button hinted at the work going on, saying: "There's a lot happening back at the factory. It's actually very exciting.

"It's not a position any of us want to be in - so far back - but it's really exciting back at the base. There is so much going on, so many new ideas, so many things going into the wind tunnel.

"It's all very positive. It's a pity we didn't realise earlier what our issues were."

The changes, though, won't stop there.

The newspaper reports that Fry has proposed a new structure that would 'create a fully integrated British-based team at the factory in Brackley and do away with the present set-up whereby about 550 people work in Britain while a further 250 engineers and experts in aerodynamics are working on related projects in Japan.

'It is understood that Fry has put this politically sensitive plan to senior management in Tokyo.'

Edit: Nuts just realised it's in the wrong sub forum. Feel free to move!

 

[HondaF1]

Viper, can you move this to the Formula 1 Sub-Forum please.

Who says I have given up hope??

 

[gti138]

Viper, can you move this to the Formula 1 Sub-Forum please.

Who says I have given up hope??

Ever the optimist You are a glass is half full kinda guy - no wonder, your from Adelaide!

 

[-Cpt. J.-]

Ross Drawn...what??.
Everybody knows that rumor is complete bullshit

 

[Donington]

Paint it black Honda!

 

[Electric-Mayhem]

Is it me.......or do other people think they should go back to last years car (the one that super aguri are using now) with this years engine? At least they can keep up with that one and there is the ability to push it, something that seemingly can't be said of the current one. Deck it out in the new colors and call it good. Then when the new one comes out in Canada, they can really get at it.....hopefully.

JH

 

[Gatecrasher]

I hope they ditch the giant world livery for something a bit more attractive. And please, no more white and red cars, it's getting hard to tell the Toyotas from the Super Aguris.

 

[Devon]

Honda rules out new chassis

Honda has denied that it will replace its uncompetitive RA107 with a completely new car later this year, but team boss Nick Fry admits that the unloved machine needs 'substantial' changes.

"It?s principally an aerodynamic issue although there are some mechanical changes we also want to make to the car," he said.

"We will make some changes at Barcelona, principally a large number of aerodynamic parts.

"There will be more for Canada and we are in the process of testing those in the wind tunnel and elsewhere.

"I think it?s just going to be a series of rolling changes, if you like, rather than one change which is going to fix the problem.

"There are large parts of the car where we don?t have any specially identified problem.

"The gearbox seems to work, the engine - with the exception of this afternoon - has been pretty reliable, the main part of the monocoque, albeit that we may have to alter things to make some changes to the aerodynamic shape.

"As far as we can tell, the rear suspension seems perfectly okay.

"We are going to have to change a reasonable amount.

"I wouldn?t call it a new car but it?s not going to be insubstantial either."

Jenson Button explained that that the current chassis had a wide variety of shortcomings.

"We?re not producing enough grip I suppose, for the drag," he said.

"We can be reasonably quick in a straight line but the car is pretty difficult to drive and we can?t do a corner the same twice, pretty much, in a race.

"Or you can put a bit more downforce on and then we?re nowhere because we don?t have the straight line speed.

"It?s very difficult to pinpoint one problem with the car.

"Under braking you have a stability problem at the rear, at the apex you have another problem and traction is not fantastic.

"Everything seems like it?s not working.

"It seems like the traction control is not the best TC that we?ve had and other parts of the car are the same.

"The package at the moment is not that great and as soon as we find more grip and downforce for the same sort of efficiency, I think all the other problems will fade away."

Source