Honda to use latest engine in Japan

The Japanese squad introduced the engine, the same design to be used in 2007, in Friday practice for the Italian Grand Prix, hoping to race it there and then take advantage of its early introduction to work on it before having to lodge its design with the FIA ahead of the engine freeze.

Two engines failures at Monza, however, forced Honda to change their plans and the team reverted to the previous specification for the rest of the weekend.

With engines having to last for two races, the team will use them again in China, but the new unit will finally make its racing debut next week in Japan.

"The ones that we had some problems with in Monza on Friday, the evolution of that engine, will be the one we use in Suzuka and Brazil," team boss Nick Fry said on Friday. "The problems we found at Monza were more related to manufacturing and build issues rather than the series 4 design.

"They ran well in testing and did more than the 1,500km that we usually require, so we will use the engine in Japan and Brazil, which starts the homologation process so will be the engine that we use for the next few years."