Mercedes has chosen to take another engine penalty at the Brazilian Grand Prix, which has surprised Toyoharu Tanabe, Honda’s F1 Technical Director.
Mercedes’ frequent engine changes throughout the 2021 season have surprised Honda, according to the company.
The Silver Arrows have been penalized for installing a new power unit at many races this year, most particularly on Valtteri Bottas’ car, which has resulted in the Finn starting from the rear of the field.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton has switched to a new ICE for the Brazilian Grand Prix, resulting in a five-place grid drop.
Mercedes has previously stated that they used new engines in order to avoid any “catastrophic” reliability issues that could have a significant impact on the championship. Honda’s F1 Technical Director, Toyoharu Tanabe, was taken aback by this.
Mercedes has previously stated that they used new engines in order to avoid any “catastrophic” reliability issues that could have a significant impact on the championship. Honda’s F1 Technical Director, Toyoharu Tanabe, was taken aback by this.
“I’m very surprised,” Tanabe told media, when asked about Mercedes’ frequent engine changes.
“They are changing the ICE frequently. I cannot believe what’s going on and why.”
Fresh horsepower
Mercedes’ choice to fit Hamilton with a new ICE in Brazil may have helped to the Briton’s significant pace advantage in Friday’s qualifying session, according to Christian Horner, Red Bull’s Team Principal.
For the Sprint Qualifying event, Hamilton qualified first, followed by Max Verstappen in second.
“We saw from this morning that Lewis was very, very strong. That fresh engine is obviously pumping out some horsepower for him,” Horner said.
“I think second was the best that we could hope for, so to be up there on the front row, we’re OK with that.”
Due to the differences between the Mercedes and Honda power units, Horner feels Verstappen would not have obtained the same kind of pace advantage if he had a new engine as well.
“We don’t see the drop-off that they do,” Horner explained. “Maybe [a] maximum of a tenth between the start life and end life of a Honda engine, which is massively impressive.
“We don’t have that degree of regular degradation.”
Hamilton and Verstappen’s qualifying results are still up in the air, with both potentially facing penalties for different infringements.
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