Formula One news

Symonds critical of Honda mistakes

Renault engineering director Pat Symonds says he would have been fired if he had made the kind of mistakes that Honda has at the start of this season. Honda has struggled with tyre problems when the team went against the advice of Michelin in Bahrain and Australia and selecting a different tyre to everyone else in Malaysia.

Symonds believes it has been those poor decisions which have meant the team has only claimed one podium finish so far this season despite the fact Button qualified in the top three at all races.

"One of the reasons for our success is down to our procedures and discipline," Symonds told the Daily Telegraph newspaper. "Honda has a car and driver combination that is very fast in qualifying, but not quite so good for the race. That's what we saw during the winter - their headline times were good but not so impressive on long runs."

"Honda have made three incorrect tyre decisions in the opening races," he added. "You can have the best car in the world but if you fit the wrong tyres it's not going to win. If I'd done the same I'd probably be looking for another job. There's no room for error in any part of F1."

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