Honda's primary focus in 2016 is to improve its end of straight speed in order to be more competitive.
Jenson Button said McLaren can be "really proud" of the progress it showed in Bahrain last weekend, with the car competitive on a circuit which puts an emphasis on power unit performance. However, Honda suffered a problem with its power unit which forced Button to retire, with reliability remaining a concern.
Honda's head of F1 project Yusuke Hasegawa says the core aspects of the power unit remain as the key areas for improvement.
Asked where the biggest gains will be for Honda this year, Hasegawa replied: "Engine power.
"Engine combustion, we have to improve that. Still we have a lack of end of straight speed, so it is everything."
While highlighting where improvements can be made, Hasegawa says he is encouraged by the progress shown by Honda so far this season.
"It is very difficult to tell but we concentrated on reliability first and I think we improved the reliability areas, although we had issues [in Bahrain].
"Now [we will focus] on the internal combustion performance - power - and we knew that the current power isn’t good enough to get a Q3 position. So that’s what I can tell … I think the current performance is reasonable."
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TECHNICAL ANALYSIS - Bahrain Grand Prix
Scene at the Bahrain Grand Prix
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