Honda's quest for tech staff not over yet

The Japanese manufacturer has been on a massive recruitment drive over the past few months to try and bolster its efforts on the back of a troubled season with their RA107.

And although the team are delighted to have signed new deputy technical director Zander from rivals BMW Sauber, senior technical director Shuhei Nakamoto has revealed that they still want to sign an outright technical director.

"We don't have a technical director as we have not come across the appropriate person yet," Nakamoto told autosport.com. "Jorg, who is deputy technical director, will be assisting me as I need someone to move the projects forward in Brackley when I am in Japan.

"He is a good natured person, he can listen to people, and he is aggressive to push people forward when needed. But I don't believe he was right for the technical directors' role."

When asked why the team had not yet come across the right candidate for the technical directors' role, Nakamoto said: "We have just not encountered the right person.

"It is like in a marriage. Sometimes you want her but she does not want you, or when she wants you, you are not interested. Both parties have to want each other."

Honda's quest to find a technical director does have some urgency, because they do not know when Zander will be available to join them. His gardening leave from BMW Sauber could be for up to one year.

"At the moment we are negotiating," said Nakamoto about Zander's contractual position. "It is 12 months once he has put in his notice, but we don't want to wait that long. We are talking to them.

"But Jorg will have zero influence on next year's car."