Honda calls for rule change: 'We can't make points'

Since the famous Silverstone crash, the engine change that will bring a grid penalty hangs over the season of Max Verstappen like a sword of Damocles. Where Honda itself was mainly to blame for the grid penalties of its teams in the past due to the unreliability of the engine, this season the blame doesn't lie with the Japanese engine supplier at all.

Grid penalty more important than costs

Not only did the Silverstone crash erase Verstappen's considerable lead over Hamilton, it also meant that Red Bull Racing and Honda could no longer use the engine. Not only did that mean a grid penalty, but the current budget cap meant that the $1.8 million it took to repair the Dutchman's car was a big pill to swallow. All through Honda's own fault, then.

According to Toyoharu Tanabe, however, cost is the least of the problems. At The-race.com he says: "There is a grid penalty. That has much more impact for us. Of course, money is important, but we can spend money. We can't make points. The points are important for driver and team. That's more important than the cost."

Reconsideration of the rules

Honda, therefore, thinks that the regulations should be reconsidered. Tanabe proposes that a panel be set up to review accidents and where requests to replace parts can be discussed. "We can work together with the FIA, the teams and the manufacturers to see how we can prevent that kind of damage in such circumstances," Tanabe said.