Honda finally uncover the truth after phantom issue that only Fernando Alonso noticed

Chief engineer and trackside general manager Shintaro Orihara has revealed that Honda have finally got to the bottom of a power unit issue that has plagued Fernando Alonso in recent races.

Alonso first complained of fresh issues with his Honda power unit at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in September, which forced him to retire his car on that occasion.

Post-race, though, Honda's investigation did not find any issues with the power unit, and a deeper investigation also came up short on answers.

Alonso once again complained about problems with his engine post-race in Singapore last time out, where he had taken a new turbocharger ahead of the race in hope of remedying the issues he was facing, to no avail.

F1 HEADLINES: Toto Wolff choosing Mercedes replacements as FIA boss doubles down

Honda get to the bottom of Fernando Alonso mystery

Now, speaking ahead of this weekend's United States Grand Prix in Austin, Orihara has confirmed that Honda was struggling with power lag issues at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Orihara confirmed that Honda has found no major issues, but thinks that the power lag problem made the event 'uncomfortable' for Alonso.

“In Singapore, despite introducing a new turbocharger to manage power lag, we struggled to manage that latency because it's a unique track with a different energy situation," the Honda man explained, via AS. "This resulted in unstable acceleration for the driver.

"Some laps had good acceleration, others not so good, and that was uncomfortable for the driver.

"After the race, the engines went to Sakura and were inspected. So far, we haven't seen any major problems, but we did struggle with power lag, and I think that was uncomfortable for the driver.”

Honda are now preparing measures to tackle the problem in the future, according to Orihara.

“We learned things from Singapore and are preparing measures for the future," he explained. "We need to improve and understand how to control that power lag. At the moment, our control isn't up to the driver's demands.

"But we learned something in Singapore and measures will be applied. We have to see how it works.”

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari could actually be favourites to win the US Grand Prix

READ MORE: Red Bull set for major overhaul in 2027 despite Max Verstappen resurgence