There's (hopefully) good news for home boy Pierre Gasly this weekend, as Honda has announced that it is to introduce its second upgrade engine of the season.

The move comes just weeks after the Japanese manufacturer introduced its first upgrade in Baku, as customers Red Bull and Toro Rosso look to close the gaps in their respective battles.

"We will be running an upgraded Spec 3 Power Unit on Max, Pierre and Daniil's cars," said Toyoharu Tanabe, Honda's Technical Director.

"The changes to the previous specification are mainly around the ICE and the turbocharger," he added. "In this instance, our engineers at the Sakura, Japan R&D facility have worked closely with other departments within Honda, specifically the aero engine development department.

"Their work and ours has many common technical features. For example, our 2018 update to the MGU-H, which dramatically improved its reliability, came as a result of our collaboration with them.

"In producing this Spec 3 PU, we have updated the turbocharger thanks to the knowledge and technology of the aero engine department in the area of aerodynamic design, working alongside turbocharger manufacturer IHI.

"Our test bench data shows a power increase over the previous version of our PU, however we know that we have not yet matched the figures from the manufacturers currently leading the championship," he admits.

"But it's a step in the right direction and we will continue our development throughout the rest of the season, calling on the resources of the whole company.”

The decision not to supply Alexander Albon with the new engine is understood to be due to the fact that the Thai driver would incur a grid penalty, with Toro Rosso not wanting both of its drivers to be penalised in the same race.