Big challenge for Honda: 'That percentage will be very high here'

Honda will have to work hard during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The circuit of Jeddah has a lot of corners, but a lap at this circuit is very fast and for the most part full throttle. Honda will have to deliver an engine that can bring Max Verstappen close to Mercedes.

Formula 1 will arrive in Saudi Arabia for the first time and will race on the street circuit in Jeddah, which is still under construction at the moment. The circuit itself is finished, but there is still a lot unclear for the engineers. Also at Honda, there are questions about the circuit, but what is clear is that it will require a lot of power.

Full throttle for Honda

''I have never experienced a layout like this before. It's a track where straights are interspersed with high-speed corners. You don't have to steer much in those high-speed corners. There are some low-speed corners, but a lot will be asked of the bike,'' says Toyoharu Tanabe in the preview on Auto Sport Web.

''We expect the percentage of full throttle to be very high,'' says Honda's top executive, who is also curious about the extent to which energy can be saved. ''According to the simulation it will be difficult, but it's hard to predict because we don't know how the track will develop in terms of grip,'' Tanabe concludes.