2021 Red Bull Racing F1 Team

[PlatinumZealot]

This is the part where I think Merc's new "ICE" really bothered me with which I asked in the Merc engine thread. From Quali point of view, you top off the battery and you run your 1 lap and it doesn't matter that you deploy every last bit of it for that 1 lap and I think Honda does that as well as Merc. In the race though, you have to recharge, there is a balance for the deployment strategy. It seems this deployment strategy in the race is where Merc has a huge advantage with right now. This is of course ignoring AERO changes. Though the pace Hamilton demostrated in Brasil specific, it didn't look like he needed to slow down to recharge (this is of course may just be the TV broadcast would focus only during action or overtaking to create such illusion). Since this is not really the topic for the above discussion... back to RBR, this is where I think Honda is saying that a new ICE itself wouldn't result in a big gain the way Merc's does.

Good observation.

You might be new here. But Honda (since 2016) and all the manfuacturers do what is called "extra harvest" which is charging the batteries with the MGUH even while the car is accelerating. It was on of the original advantages of Mercedes in 2014.

So all cars do this depending on how the engineers program it for the track and state of charge, engine load, wheel slip etc.

[west52keep64]

Honda's head of power unit development Asaki-san said a while ago that they would save the best for the last race(s).
This can only be achieved if the car is optimal. Everything has to be right.
Over the past few weekends with Gasly and Yuki, it was already apparent how good the Honda PU is.
Their car is with the right setup already optimal , so they were able to show everyone the full potential of the Honda PU.
RBR indicates in this Tweet without saying anything that this will now also be the case with RBR.
This cargo box is not from Jeddah. Those from Jeddah were already at the track on Monday.

Could you share your source for this information? Or is it all just speculation?

This is no speculation. As I said this information comes from Asaki-san/Honda, RBR and AlphaTauri.

Could you share the link to the article or interview where Asaki-san said this?

[PhillipM]

I don't buy any of that at all, if Honda had something like that waiting in the wings they would have deployed it with the new engine when it was taken and not let this run so close to start with.
Running full power at the last race alone would have to be a futile effort where it's win or blow up because you're risking it - and blowing up is not an option on Sunday at all. Better to be a tenth a lap slower than that.

[godlameroso]

You don't even know what power unit was used at which races. Honda designed their power unit to retain 90% of its performance over 8 events. Since the power unit installed in Hungary, Monza and Spa spared the power unit, and that same power unit may have been used up to Qatar. It would explain the sudden increase in competitiveness from RBR especially in qualifying. We have a power unit designed for 8 races and has only done 3 races at most until now.

[Sasha]

I heard a rumour that Honda didn't use their most powerful PU at Saudi Arabia.
It was saved for this race. It goes in the car tonight for Saturday and Sunday.
That is the rumour plus new things from RB chassis wise.

[max_speed]

I hope these rumours have some truth. If merc blitz past them then it will be quite an embarassment. I do not buy into all this but happy to get a nice surprise.

[ringo]

Looks like understeer in the redbull in abudhabi.
The team could be trying different things to get more long run pace. Though they should sort it out by the end of P3.
I am not sure what theyre doing enginewise but I dont think the PU were being saved for the last race. Max could have been champion a few races ago so I am sure the team would want to make hay when the sun shines and not risk overusing an older PU to save the newest.

[Wouter]

Could you share your source for this information? Or is it all just speculation?

This is no speculation. As I said this information comes from Asaki-san/Honda, RBR and AlphaTauri.

Could you share the link to the article or interview where Asaki-san said this?

Asaki-san has recently given several interviews, in Japanese and English. He has also said this more than once.
I'd love to give you a link, but it's a lot of work to go back and read all these interviews, to see where he said what.
I'm pretty sure it can be found in the "General Honda F1 Topic". Maybe you can take a look there for yourself.

[PhillipM]

Looks like understeer in the redbull in abudhabi.
The team could be trying different things to get more long run pace. Though they should sort it out by the end of P3.
I am not sure what theyre doing enginewise but I dont think the PU were being saved for the last race. Max could have been champion a few races ago so I am sure the team would want to make hay when the sun shines and not risk overusing an older PU to save the newest.

Exactly, if you had a risky map that could give you another 20hp - you'd run it as soon as you put your last engine in, when it's freshest and it's likely to have the most effect with the least engine wear. That way you would take the wins and still have options in the next couple races if something went wrong or it gave more wear than expected.
Exactly as Mercedes did.

Sorry but most of these rumours are just that, rumours, with zero backing, zero official comments on it, all I see so far is people speculating to get some upvotes on the internet.
Are Honda/RB gonna give the car the full engine mode? Of course, they have to risk it.
Would they have a special map with more power than normally available here? Doubtful, makes zero sense, if they had that they would have used it 2 races ago and sealed this championship already.

[Swifty]

Well, after the FPs times we can easily say: Honda's last dance with RedBull will have two left feet.

Edit: No need to get so emotional, guys... It's a tense weekend, just trying to make some jokes. Verstappen made some mistakes on his fast laps, so no clear diagnostics. I'm still trying to see the race pace here.

[e30ernest]

I wouldn't put too much credit on the FP times since the track temperature isn't really representative of qualifying or the race. Last night RB had good race pace, so we're probably in for a close fight. Whoever wins the WDC doesn't matter to me. Both Red Bull and Mercedes did an exceptional job and both Lewis and Max have been a class above the rest. It's been an amazing year!

[siskue2005]

Why did they change the rear wing on Max car?

[west52keep64]

Honda's head of power unit development Asaki-san said a while ago that they would save the best for the last race(s).
This can only be achieved if the car is optimal. Everything has to be right.
Over the past few weekends with Gasly and Yuki, it was already apparent how good the Honda PU is.
Their car is with the right setup already optimal , so they were able to show everyone the full potential of the Honda PU.
RBR indicates in this Tweet without saying anything that this will now also be the case with RBR.
This cargo box is not from Jeddah. Those from Jeddah were already at the track on Monday.

This is no speculation. As I said this information comes from Asaki-san/Honda, RBR and AlphaTauri.

Could you share the link to the article or interview where Asaki-san said this?

Asaki-san has recently given several interviews, in Japanese and English. He has also said this more than once.
I'd love to give you a link, but it's a lot of work to go back and read all these interviews, to see where he said what.
I'm pretty sure it can be found in the "General Honda F1 Topic". Maybe you can take a look there for yourself.

I have searched and I can't find anything where Asaki-san says what you described above. Perhaps you misread it or misquoted it? As you haven't read or heard the quote recently, and are unable to locate it yourself, I suspect this is the most likely scenario and the information is sadly not true.

[e30ernest]

Why did they change the rear wing on Max car?

Horner said there was a reliability concern. He didn't expand on that.

[BlueCheetah66]

Looks like understeer in the redbull in abudhabi.
The team could be trying different things to get more long run pace. Though they should sort it out by the end of P3.
I am not sure what theyre doing enginewise but I dont think the PU were being saved for the last race. Max could have been champion a few races ago so I am sure the team would want to make hay when the sun shines and not risk overusing an older PU to save the newest.

How could Max been champion a few races ago? Can you PLEASE stop talking nonsense.

He means that if Verstappen had got a win in the past few races, the title would be comfortably for him. If they had an extra power mode, they wouldve used it in Brazil knowing that Hamilton was taking an engine penalty