Honda acknowledge Verstappen's bad start: "It's a challenge"

Toyoharu Tanabe witnessed plenty of things go wrong during the Turkish Grand Prix. The Honda CEO doesn't think that mistakes have been made in one area specifically, but that the full picture was simply not what it should have been. Among other things, Max Verstappen's bad start was something that stood out.

Another bad start for Verstappen

One of the lesser points at Istanbul Park was the start. Max Verstappen got out of his starting grid very slowly. It was reminiscent of the start in Mugello, where the Dutchman also lost many places before turn 1. 

“That's right. Obviously, it's a challenge,” said Tanabe in conversation with AS-Web. According to Honda, it's to do with the correlation between the RB16 and the power unit. It is hoped that this will be resolved during the winter.

In qualifying, Red Bull had the greatest difficulty with the intermediates. It was precisely those tyres that played a massive role in Sunday's Grand Prix. Is that one of the reasons for the bad race? "You should ask the team. Qualifying is a short run, while the race is all about the long stints. That's a difference. When it comes to racing, it's also very risky to get off your line, because there is a big-time difference. The situation between Saturday and Sunday was different in that area," he added.

Honda accepts the situation

It is disappointing that a sixth and seventh place for Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon turned out to be the maximum possible. Still, Honda is content with it. "I didn't feel so frustrated. Max tried everything. I felt that this was just the limit. There were several weaknesses, not necessarily one big mistake," the Japanese concluded.