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Mercedes are very interested in seeing what progress Honda have made over the winter as Formula 1 prepares for the new season. Mercedes have produced the most dominant power unit since their introduction in 2014.
Honda re-entered the sport in 2015 as a supplier to McLaren but struggled in their first season back. In 2016, they made progress but were still quite a way behind the German outfit.
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And Andy Cowell, who is the engine boss at Mercedes, agrees with those who think that engines will still be very important as the chassis and tyre regulations change for 2017.
"If you are on the gas for a longer period of time, the importance of the engine obviously increases," he told Auto Motor und Sport.
"But it is now the fourth year with this generation of engines and everyone has learned a lot. I am quite curious about what the other manufacturers and especially Honda have done.
"They are now in their third year, they have established their development department and accumulated a lot of knowledge. I think that would be the time for a big, courageous step."
Honda and Renault have confirmed that they have followed through on fundamental design changes for 2017, which could expose Mercedes to the risk of only being able to tweak its leading engine.
But Cowell said: "What we are doing feels quite aggressive. So we did not just sit back and make only small modifications. Compared to previous years, the changes are considerable."
Fergal Walsh
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If Honda produce something semi-competitive McLaren could grab a podium or 2