McLaren F1 Team Racing Dir Boullier Says Engine Issues Must Be Resolved

Struggling McLaren F1 team said that it will be able to make "major steps forward" once reliability problems with its Honda engine are solved, according to Andrew Benson of the BBC. McLaren Racing Dir Eric Boullier said, "We know our cars have not tenths but seconds of potential to be unlocked." He said that "the fragility of the engine meant it could not be used to its full potential for fear it would break." He said that the "main problems were in the hybrid system of the Honda engine" -- the parts that "recover energy from the rear axle and the turbocharger to be reapplied under acceleration." Boullier: "We're not able to unlock the full recovery potential because if we do it creates reliability issues -- and that hurts us in terms of performance. But it is there" (BBC, 7/15).