sAx wrote: ↑10 Aug 2018, 19:46
Lets test that hypothesis then shall we?? Horner said similar in his podcast, that Renault don't give Red Bull the best product (engines), ostensibly of the like they fully pay for and expect to receive a first-class service from. He said if he was in Renault's position he would do exactly the same and as such the excuses for poor performance were all Abiteboul's!! Not a trick question but how many races have Renault won this year against customer Red Bull, using a superior specified product to the like that they supposedly save for those lacking intimate knowledge? Quite a huge elephant in that Red Bull room!
There's no need to test any hypothesis, because it's common-sense. Evidently, RedBull have overcome many deficits versus their supplier due to having built an exceptional chassis with very good aero. There are areas though where Renault as their own supplier have their own advantages that are confirmed by both teams too:
1.) fuel maximization
The Renault works team has supposedly a greater output due to being optimized for different fuels that RedBull doesn't use.
2.) packaging (MGU-K)
Renault upgraded to a spec2 MGU-K unit that requires new packaging that is not easy to fulfill. Obviously, not a problem for the works-team because they designed the part according to their own requirements, but for a customer any change has bigger consequences. McLaren stated too that the packaging requirements of the spec-2 MGU-K unit is quite demanding and opted to run without it initially at first too. RedBull still aren't using it. One can assume it isn't a plug & play part.
People need to understand that this formula isn't about simply fitting an engine to a car anymore. These new engines are called
POWER-UNITS for a reason. They are large, they are heavy and they are incredibly complex with far reaching demands to the car. It's not just an engine, it's an ICE, a MGU-H, MGU-K, cooling, battery etc. Aero is linked to packaging. Packaging is linked to cooling. Cooling is linked to performance and reliability. Performance and reliability is linked to how well you fare on the track and across the season. A works-team, a supplier, a power-unit manufacturer can make full use of this because they can design both car and power-unit as one perfectly balanced item. They have full insight of all parameters, they know the exact cooling requirements under all situations, they have the best insight on reliability and therefore can design the car around that power-unit. They also have a clear and intimate knowledge of the development path or can choose this according to their own requirements, not the requirements of their clients.
A client such as RedBull or McLaren don't have this. They are mere clients. They design the car according to the data their supplier supplies them. They'll never have the same insight the works-team does.
Succeeding in this formula is all about optimizing all parts, all factors. This is where Mercedes has succeeded and where Ferrari is now succeeding too. Perfect integration between car and power-unit. Not perfect integration means a compromise and compromise means hitting below the potential of the package.