F1: Honda says no other teams want its engine

Honda would benefit from a second Formula 1 team but no one is interested, claims the firm's motorsport boss Yusuke Hasegawa.

F1's other three engine manufacturers all supply at least two teams.

Honda was mentioned last year as a potential partner for Red Bull, albeit as a last resort as the team ran short of options when trying to split with Renault.

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Having faced an uphill struggle since it rejoined F1 with McLaren in 2015, Honda has made no secret of the fact that for more rapid improvements to be made, and for better understanding of its power unit, linking up with an additional team would be ideal.

Both McLaren and Honda have to agree to such a union, but Hasegawa has revealed there are no takers at present.

"I think from a technical point of view it is good to have a second team, to have more chances to run the engines," said Hasegawa. "Of course it costs a bit more, and we need to prepare the engineers, but in general I would be happy to have a second team if we have the opportunity. But also at this moment we are not strong enough.

"There is not any team that wants to have a Honda engine. We need to wait. I have to change the situation."

Hasegawa has confirmed updates to this year's power unit are due to be introduced "in a couple of races," with the focus of improvement on the internal combustion engine and significant lap time improvements targeted.

"We are aiming to have half a second [gain], but I don't know, I can't tell if we can achieve that. But we should do that. We need to improve," said Hasegawa.

He has also confirmed discussions are ongoing regarding next year's system, and which direction to take.

"So far we are researching many possibilities," said Hasegawa. "Drastic change or a continuous one, we haven't decided yet which direction we will go. We are researching that. Maybe in August we will have to decide. McLaren has to decide the package."

Hasegawa accepts the pressure, but insists there is none greater than from within Honda itself.

"I saw Fernando's comments. Of course, he is not actually punching me but I'm very happy to have that pressure because it means he expects Honda to improve," said Hasegawa. "The pressure is very big, huge, and it's not just coming from the two drivers. There is Ron Dennis, and of course Honda. The biggest pressure, for me, is coming from within Honda, from inside, the board."

Originally on Autosport.com