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- Honda announced last October that it would withdraw from Formula 1 at the end of 2021, although it would not be quiet.
- Several updated components were rolled out in time for the start of the season in March as Honda attempted to lead the battle to become the dominant Mercedes of the turbo-hybrid era.
- While Honda is soon getting out of Formula 1, its new energy storage technology will migrate into its automotive sector.
The manufacturer is leaving Formula 1 in less than three months, but Honda is still giving its all in developing its engine.
The company hopes the reward will pay off both in the final F1 standings and ultimately in your driveway.
Honda’s early years in the turbo hybrid era were marked by chronic unreliability and underperformance, but eventually its outlook turned. Honda is currently driving the title-chasing Red Bull Racing team and sister team AlphaTauri and is determined to get a high grade.
The company announced last October that it would withdraw from Formula 1 at the end of 2021, although it would not be quiet.
After quickly gaining approval from high-level company officials, Honda Formula 1 engineers received approval to accelerate development of the engine originally planned for 2022. The complex units of Formula 1 consist of six separate components: the combustion engine, MGU-K, MGU-H, turbocharger, control electronics and energy storage.
According to the current Formula 1 regulations, each engine component is allowed one upgrade per season at the discretion of each manufacturer, while each driver may not use more than three of each component. Use more than three of the same component and you have to face a grid penalty.
Honda is doing everything in its power to bring Max Verstappen a Formula 1 title in the manufacturer’s final year.
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Several updated components were introduced just in time for the start of the season in March, including the ICE as Honda sought to lead the battle to become the dominant Mercedes of the turbo-hybrid era. However, it continued to use its old energy storage device (ES).
Due to its nature as a high voltage and high power component, the ES requires special equipment for its development. It has a significantly longer lead time than other PU components and is additionally impaired by the certification and crash test approvals required for its worldwide transport.
Originally introduced in February 2022, Honda engineers from various departments, including the road battery development team, delivered the new ES during the Formula 1 break in August. Honda’s development took several years.
Honda has now announced that its new ES will be installed in the Red Bull RB16B of F1 driver world champion Max Verstappen for the first race after the summer in Belgium, for which he took pole position and then took victory in the shortened race.
Verstappen clinched pole at his home race in the Netherlands and won that weekend and is five points ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the overall standings at the Russian Grand Prix this weekend.
Honda’s Yasuaki Asaki
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“This new ES was developed in a multi-year project with the aim of combining improvements in energy efficiency with significant weight savings,” said Yasuaki Asaki, head of engine development at Honda F1. “In the company’s last season in this sport, Honda F1 succeeded in getting the new ES – equipped with a lighter, low-resistance, highly efficient and ultra-high-performance battery cell – right on time for the start of the second half of the season.
“In order to achieve the ultimate goal of defeating Mercedes and winning the championship before we leave Formula 1 at the end of the 2021 season, we recognized the need to improve performance. This means that the development plan for the new ES has been brought forward significantly from the original target of 2022 to its introduction in the 2021 season. “
While Honda is soon getting out of Formula 1, its new ES will have a transition into its automotive sector while still having relevance in racing.
The newly founded Red Bull Powertrains will take over the production and development of the Honda engine after the company’s official exit. Red Bull Powertrains will supply Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri from 2022 to at least 2025, when new engine regulations are to be introduced. Although Honda is leaving the company, it wants its technology to have a legacy.
“Even after Honda leaves Formula 1, this new battery technology will make a huge contribution to Honda’s future technology to create a climate-neutral society, drive mobility and enable people around the world to improve their daily lives,” said Asaki.
Charles Leclerc and Ferrari are also developing the machine in 2021. But there is a price.
Joe Portlock – Formula 1Getty Images
Ferrari updates
Honda isn’t the only F1 engine manufacturer still working on its technology this late in the season.
Ferrari is unveiling an updated hybrid system for its SF21 this weekend, but has been cautious about the exact details of the technology, just sketching that “its main purpose is to gain experience for the 2022 auto project”.
Only Charles Leclerc will use the updated spec aggregate and will start Sunday’s Grand Prix from the end of the grid as he has exceeded his season’s allotted components.
Ferrari is in the middle of the longest Formula 1 drought since the early 1990s, today (Wednesday) celebrates its second anniversary of its most recent victory. Ferrari ranks fourth in this year’s overall standings, an improvement over last year’s sixth, which it fell back to due to a pitiful chassis and lackluster power unit.
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