Christian Horner (left), Honda personnel and drivers celebrate 1-2 victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix
Photo: Honda
Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner says that the team’s advantage in a straight line at high altitude circuits, which was in evidence at the Mexican and Brazilian Grands Prix, is as much down to the car’s downforce levels as it is to the power of the Honda engine.
Red Bull performed better than expected at both of the aforementioned Formula 1 races, with Verstappen even taking pole position and the win in Brazil. One of the foremost theories about the car’s sudden straight line advantage was that the high altitude conditions were better suited to the Honda engine, but Horner says the chassis setup played a role as well.
“I think you have to look at downforce levels as well,” he said. “I think Mercedes ran a higher level of downforce for us, which assisted them in the race, but maybe didn’t help them in qualifying. You can see they were very competitive in the race and arguably at the end of the stints they were a little bit stronger than we were. So it’s that compromise of how you generate your lap time.”
Related: Compare Honda to the competition
Toyoharu Tanabe, technical director of Honda F1, agreed that it was impossible to isolate the manufacturer’s power unit as the single factor responsible for Red Bull’s pace advantage at those high altitude tracks. “High altitude affects not only PU but also aero,” he said. “So as a package, we had a better, or a strong, package in Mexico and [in Brazil]. I don’t have any clear answer for it.”
For fans who have paid attention to the sport since the start of the hybrid engine era, this story is interesting if only because it highlights a shift in the Red Bull dialogue concerning its engine. For years, the team was (justifiably) laying its lack of competitiveness squarely at the door of Renault, and after teaming up with Honda began to play up the Japanese manufacturer perhaps more than it needed to (but perhaps not, after the terrible partnership Honda had experienced with McLaren).
Now, for the first time in over five years, Red Bull’s success has been attributed to its engine rather than to its chassis. That the engine has improved to the point that Horner felt the need to remind people that the chassis is also good is certainly a positive sign of how far Honda has come.
Related: 4 reasons to buy a Honda 
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.
