After a challenging season, McLaren Honda was ready to take a leap forward in its second year, and the knowledge and data gained from last year proved to be a major weapon for Honda. The 2016 RA616H power unit improved on the shortcomings of last year’s RA615H.

The engineers reworked the areas that had been sacrificed in the pursuit of the “Size Zero” concept that had been reached through discussions with McLaren. The intake and exhaust systems, which had been space-saving priorities, were made more efficient to increase power output. The placement of the surge tank, which incorporates the variable intake system, was raised 30 mm to allow smoother airflow to the combustion chamber. Although this left less room for the chassis, McLaren understood this and worked to improve the car’s competitiveness. The injectors were moved from the side to the top, to improve combustion efficiency and power output.

The greatest emphasis was placed on improving reliability. Based on the experience and data from the previous year, quality control of each component and thorough durability testing were prioritized, resulting in a dramatic improvement in reliability. However, it was still an early model, a minor-change from the RA615H, and its output and control were not yet at the top level.

The MP4-31 that McLaren introduced for the 2016 season remained a minor evolution of the MP4-30. With F1 set to undergo major regulation changes in 2017, most teams introduced the updated versions of the previous year’s cars and focused their resources on developing the following year’s cars.

The MP4-31 retained the short nose that the MP4-30 had adopted mid-season, and the main change was the addition of vertical slits in the stays that suspend the wings. The suspension, both front and rear, remained unchanged, but the layout and size were slightly modified to improve aerodynamics and optimize the car’s behavior.

Many specifications, however, were introduced for aerodynamic parts, especially the rear wing, which was a major focus of the updates. Specifications with different numbers of fins and slit shapes were prepared for each race, demonstrating the depth of McLaren’s resources, but unfortunately, did not show any groundbreaking change in terms of effectiveness.

From pre-season testing, the reliability of the RA616H had visibly improved, and both McLaren and Honda had regained confidence to the extent that the phrase “practically our first year” was mentioned by the team and Honda staff. However, the season started in a heavy mood when Fernando Alonso was injured in a serious accident during the season-opener in Australia, and he was ruled out of the next round. Although McLaren Honda had shown a certain level of progress, including in terms of reliability, other teams were evolving faster, and the gap with the competition was not closing, adding to the team’s downbeat mood.

In Round 5, Spain, Fernando Alonso proceeded to Q3 for the first time since the revival of McLaren Honda, and both cars finished within the points four times during the season. In particular, improvement in reliability was proven by team completing races in 76.2% of the season, a total of 17 finishes. However, the lack of power compared to the competition was undeniable, and Honda began developing a new power unit during the season.