Honda acknowledges Mercedes is faster: "Focusing to maximize power unit now"

"Although not as tricky as in Monaco, overtaking at the Hungaroring is still difficult, which means grid position are very important," says Tanabe. So the Japanese will have to have the power mode in order to be able to fight with Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon for the pole position on Saturday.

It won't be as hot in Hungary as expected, but still Honda has taken sufficient measures to provide the power unit with sufficient cooling. "This is usually one of the hottest races of the season. We got pole position here with Max last year, and we have a good feeling for the track."

Honda's top man acknowledges that Mercedes is the benchmark and that there is still a gap to close. "In Austria we faced tough competition over two weekends. It was clear that we do not yet match the pace of the team that has dominated this hybrid power era. We are now focusing on our preparation in order to maximise the performance from our PU as a package."