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Honda boss Yusuke Hasegawa has said that he is 50% satisfied with the Honda engine now that development on the 2016 spec has ended.
Honda re-joined the sport last year as power unit suppliers to McLaren but endured a torrid time becoming backmarkers in 2015.
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In 2016 it is clear that the team ahs made progress but Hasegawa admits that he only thinks they are halfway to full potential.
“Yes, our development for 2016 is complete, but of course we will continue to fine-tune the power units at every track,” Hasegawa said.
“My satisfaction level is at 50%, and I am split because though we have made lots of progress this year, we are not yet at the level of the top level teams.
“What we have done this year will of course help next year, but at the moment, we are completely focused on the early part of 2017. What will happen within next year comes after that.”
F1 travels to Austin next weekend and Hasegawa is hoping that McLaren have a better weekend than Suzuka, in which both McLaren's struggled all weekend.
He also believes that the car will be much more suited to the track than Suzuka.
“We think that Austin should be a better track for us than Suzuka, but it is difficult to predict at this point,” he concluded.
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C. Sainz jr
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calle.itw
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Isnt Austin a pretty unfavourable track for them though? Last year played into their favour because it was raining, but its not as certain they'll have the same luck this time.