Red Bull Power Unit Hardware & Software

[ME4ME]

It's good to hear that they are not only willing to contribute but that they also have the ability and expertise to. Also it's a good sign that RBPT aren't reluctent to ask for help.

[AR3-GP]

Dialogue is somewhat repetitive/vapid but the footage of the different test benches is interesting.

1:00: Single cylinder engine testing of fuel
2:10: Turbocharger test bench

[Badger]

I guess we can rule out a split turbo judging by the footage at 2:30. Perhaps that was never on the cards without the MGU-H either way.

[AR3-GP]

I guess we can rule out a split turbo judging by the footage at 2:30. Perhaps that was never on the cards without the MGU-H either way.

Never on the cards. The FIA restricted the distance between the compressor and turbine to just 175mm. The extra rotating mass of split turbo would also increase the turbo lag which is set to become a bigger factor without the MGU-H.

[pantherxxx]

Do you guys think that Ford's extensive knowledge in high performance EV tech gives them an advantage? This van is powered by 3 electric motors, each of them capable of 500 KW, and 6 phased, much more state of the art then 14-25 gen F1 MGU-K tech. And battery tech for 600 KW regenerative braking. 1 to 1 power to weight ratio, much quicker than a Pagani Zonda R and other hypercars in top gear test track. Electric engine is very similar in characteristics to the 2026 regs MGU-K. And Ford already had this tech in 2021 and they improved it since then.

[vorticism]

Single outlet compressor scroll in that video. Implies use of a water-air intercooler.

I guess we can rule out a split turbo judging by the footage at 2:30. Perhaps that was never on the cards without the MGU-H either way.

Never on the cards. The FIA restricted the distance between the compressor and turbine to just 175mm. The extra rotating mass of split turbo would also increase the turbo lag which is set to become a bigger factor without the MGU-H.
https://i.postimg.cc/NFxDDgGk/image.png

It might not be a great concern considering the inertia of the turbine and impeller wheels will dwarf that of the connecting shaft itself, due to them being ~8x larger in diameter. In that video, relative to the inlet and exhaust pipes which will be around 100mm in diameter, the spacing looks to be around 100mm. So: why not reduce that? It could be 25mm, but it's not. Conversely they could still be spaced a further ~75mm further apart, which begs the question: why is the FIA permitting that? It would look unusual and still very much like a split-turbo. Semi-split.

Inertia works both ways and could help maintain rotational velocity.

[AR3-GP]

Do you guys think that Ford's extensive knowledge in high performance EV tech gives them an advantage? This van is powered by 3 electric motors, each of them capable of 500 KW, and 6 phased, much more state of the art then 14-25 gen F1 MGU-K tech. And battery tech for 600 KW regenerative braking. 1 to 1 power to weight ratio, much quicker than a Pagani Zonda R and other hypercars in top gear test track. Electric engine is very similar in characteristics to the 2026 regs MGU-K. And Ford already had this tech in 2021 and they improved it since then.

I wouldn't call it an "advantage" compared to the other PU manufacturers, but they are better off with this experience than without. Ford has contributed a lot of the research and know-how on the hybrid side.

One could believe that Ford has been able to use these extracurricular projects to train engineers and acquire specialist knowledge in high performance electric powertrains. There's an added bonus in that it's outside of the budget cap.

[AR3-GP]

I am wondering what experience Exxon Mobil has in sustainable fuels. Will they be competitive against the other fuel manufacturers? There is an energy flow limit, so a more energy dense fuel will allow the car to be lighter. There are also combustion characteristics to optimize.

[vorticism]

How competitive is the market for chemists in the oil industry? To me it's interesting that there is not a spec fuel for this series. Multiple corps want not just to advertise in it but to develop their own fuels and lubricants for it. I have no understanding of the R&D realm of the oil industry, though. Synthetic fuels seem to be burgeoning market, so it's a good dovetail in that sense.

[dren]

How competitive is the market for chemists in the oil industry? To me it's interesting that there is not a spec fuel for this series. Multiple corps want not just to advertise in it but to develop their own fuels and lubricants for it. I have no understanding of the R&D realm of the oil industry, though. Synthetic fuels seem to be burgeoning market, so it's a good dovetail in that sense.

There was a segment on The Race podcast where they interviewed a lady engineer who works for Shell talking about how they interact with Ferrari on designing the synthetic fuel.

[lio007]

They know what they do:

That rivals are probing what Red Bull has done says a lot about the seriousness with which others are taking the new Powertrains project.

For Hodgkinson, who was recruited from Mercedes early on to lead the project, what has been put together at Milton Keynes is as good as he thinks it can be.

And although drawing short of making any firm prediction for what can be achieved on track this year, he thinks that Red Bull has everything it needs to succeed in the long term.

“Obviously, I've got a lot of experience in designing F1 engines, and I've been in it since the V10 days, so I know what a good company looks like,” he said.

“I've got the unique opportunity here to try and shape what the perfect power unit manufacturer needed to look like - and Red Bull have been very accommodating in terms of what facilities we've got.

“I'm pretty confident with our facilities. I think the people we've got are amazing. There's something really unique about a group of people that are part of a startup that we've got.

“They're almost like pioneers. The ownership and dedication I can see in every department is just incredible. So I think we've got all the ingredients.

"But whether it will turn into a Michelin meal, we'll have to see, won't we? We've definitely got all the ingredients.

“I'm confident that we've built the right company and got the right people. But I think confidence is something that somebody who is about to lose will have, so you're not going to get more from me than that.”

Hodgkinson said that it was impossible to make any firm prediction on the relative form right now against everyone else because teams had not yet run on track together.

“You never really know where you are,” he said, when asked about his gut feeling on where Red Bull’s power unit stacked up for the start of the 2026 season.

“I've described it before to some of my team-mates that it's like a 400 metre race. And I use 400 metres, because a 400 metre race is basically like a sprint.
“So it feels like a sprint, but you're doing it in a stadium on your own, with no crowd, in a different country to all of your competitors. All I know is that we're running as fast as we possibly can.”

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/red- ... the-rules/

[AR3-GP]

Mock up from the livery launch

[dialtone]

Some footage of their testing facilities:
https://youtu.be/3M_nhr2LhBg?si=7-bBjzeYuEXHGrLM

I was surprised about the "temperatures like the surface of the sun" and the diamond pressure statement. Really a fact? (Probably a dumb question, but ICE physics is not a thing where I have knowledge)

He said "same order of magnitude of the surface of the sun" which isn't saying too much. Very edge of the surface of the sun is at 5000K, the internal of an engine during the explosion is probably around 2300K give or take, the cylinder head doesn't reach 700K.

People think the surface of the sun is much hotter, but it's just not that dense there, although it ramps up quite quickly as you go closer to the core and reach denser matter.

Fundamentally though the temperature and gravity of the sun are persistent and constant, while in the engine they last typically 1/10000th of a second so that temperature/pressure doesn't last very much at all, and of course the engine is cooled.

[AR3-GP]

They did a virtual reality launch of the PU. It's interesting that the battery is tall rather than low and wide like the Honda.

[AR3-GP]