ME4ME wrote: ↑18 Mar 2018, 14:28
Juzh wrote: ↑18 Mar 2018, 13:05
Obviously their main advantage is in the the mgu-h recovery.
Wouldn't it be fair to say that it is combustion that is the real advantage then? I mean, I doubt their MGUH design is fastly different to any other. It's the application of the unit, the amount of recovery that might differ. But the amount of recoverable energy, or energy worth recovering without making a bad trade-of, is heavily dependent on the combustion process and turbo compounding.
Hearing Wazari speak about Honda's big upcoming combustion upgrade.. I think that that is still the area where the differences are.
I think other car characteristics are also at play. For instance: Merc has one of the best suspension setups out there. That allows them to brake deeper into the corner than for instance the Mclaren which visually had much more movement in the front end (at least in recent years, not sure about the new car). This is an advantage which translates into better fuel efficiency and energy recovery as it allows for a much more efficient driving style.
I don’t think you can look at one car characteristic in isolation, be it engine, aero suspension or other. It is the combination of little things which compound into overall car performance.