Why Toro Rosso May Not Be Honda's Rebound

LAST FRIDAY, OVER THE COURSE OF 12 minutes, a flurry of announcements was made in the Singapore Grand Prix paddock.

- Lawrence Barretto

McLaren had got its way and dissolved its Formula 1 partnership with Honda, taking on Renault power instead; Honda would remain in the championship, with Toro Rosso becoming its works team.

The Toro Rosso-Honda liaison is one of F1’s more unusual works partnerships, but it’s clear why it makes sense for both parties. After a torrid time with McLaren, which pushed it to the brink of quitting F1, Honda has another chance to prove that it has what it takes to succeed in the world championship.

For Toro Rosso, it gives the Italian squad the works programme it has craved, and boosts its budget as the engines and development will be free. The team will also act as a guinea pig for senior team Red Bull, which would be interested in taking the engine for 2019 if Honda shows sufficient improvement.

The pressure placed on Honda to succeed, both by its own board and that of McLaren, gradually became too much to bear on its return to F1. The more it struggled, the greater the pressure and the worse things got.

With Toro Rosso that pressure will be lifted, at least early on. It is a smaller operation and one that seems more open to change. Honda can focus on trying to get on top of its engine and development with reduced expectation. Toro Rosso receives an engine that could eventually help it contend for the fifth place in the constructors’ championship it has long targeted.