Honda ace Rubens Barrichello is confident he can end his season on a high after the team completed a successful test at Jerez, satisfied with the RA806 engine’s reliability after its troubled debut in Monza last weekend.

The team completed over 700 miles with the new specification units, withdrawn from service in Italy after Anthony Davidson suffered two engine failures during Friday’s practice.

But Barrichello believes he can complete his season with strong showings in Japan and Brazil (he must use the old-spec engine he raced in Monza at Shanghai) after watching Davidson and James Rossiter dominate the times on the final day of testing.

"On the first day, it was difficult to find a good balance but the car was very reliable so we completed a lot of laps,” he said.

“On Thursday I was able to change the set-up and felt much happier with the balance that we found.

“We concentrated on the tyres for China along with aero and electronics work and I feel very positive about our performance and think that we will be competitive for the final three races."

The team’s chief engineer of vehicle performance Mark Ellis echoed Barrichello’s optimism, adding that he believed that Honda can further build on its late-season resurgence despite its Monza blip.

"The first of our back to back tests at Jerez has been extremely successful this week,” he said.

“The outstanding reliability of the RA106 car and the RA806 engine and excellent work by the team has allowed us to complete our planned test programme without any issues and in generally good circuit conditions.

“The drivers have been happy with the grip and balance of the car, setting encouraging lap times.

“Our chassis and electronics updates are showing positive results and we have completed a comprehensive tyre programme with our partner Michelin, resulting in some good solutions for Shanghai."