Honda chief: 'This should not be the turning point of the season'

It was a very disappointing weekend for Honda at Silverstone. Of the four Honda-powered cars, only Yuki Tsunoda managed to score a point. Pierre Gasly finished 11th, Sergio Perez 16th and Max Verstappen crashed out on the first lap, and it remains to be seen how much damage Verstappen's engine sustained in the crash.

Weekend of stumbling blocks

On the Japanese website AS Web, Honda F1 director Toyoharu Tanabe agrees that it was a difficult weekend in England. "It was a weekend of stumbling blocks," says the Japanese who seems more combative than ever. "We will take every race more seriously than ever before so that people don't say later that the British Grand Prix was the turning point of the season."

Tanabe shocked by crash

The Honda chief saw their star driver crash hard but was glad he walked away safely. "Verstappen was hit from behind by Lewis Hamilton and went off the track. He hit the tyres hard and I was a bit shocked by the accident. I was relieved that he got away with it. That was a blessing."

For the other cars, things didn't go much better. "Perez had to start from pit lane because we had to replace some important parts. He did have the speed, but in the end he finished without points. Gasly had a puncture at the end of the race and had to make an extra pit stop." Tsunoda still managed to score a point with his tenth place finish. "It was good to see him finish with such composure for a rookie," he said.