Red Bull pushes towards an equalization of powers

During the season, Red Bull made no secret of its desire for a more powerful engine for next year and aims to create a level of balance between Renault and the others.

Chris Horner spoke about the performance of the Renault engine and did not hide the difference in power with the Mercedes even if he recognized that he had a certain margin in terms of driveability and consumption. The freezing of the engines did not allow the creation of equal or comparable units in terms of power and the current chassis advantage that the team has is destined to end as it can develop in that sector.

“I think that if you look at the phonometric data you can say that we have 3% less power, probably around thirty horsepower. This can cost up to four tenths per lap but until we have a bench test with all the engines we will never be sure."

Horner continues: “You often hear Ross Brawn talk about weight distribution, center of gravity, cooling efficiency, etc. The more power you have the more heat you generate and they just have to focus on the chassis.”

Then on the Renault engine that powers the RB6: “We are very happy with the offer and the relationship with Renault, they treat us well and we have a good partnership. The Renault engine is a good engine, as is the Ferrari one. It has some handling advantages, but I would prefer more power. In terms of fuel consumption, when you have less horsepower you burn less petrol and have less heat to get rid of. But if you have more horsepower you can act conservatively by burning less fuel and saving the power for when you really need it.”

During the past season the team tried to switch to supplying Mercedes but McLaren's negative veto blocked the negotiation. This year Ross Brawn and Norbert Haug are against the supply and therefore Red Bull has no choice but to remain tied to Renault and hope that the federation authorizes the French engineer to work on the engine.

Robert Ferrari