"Red Bull & HRC Close-Up: While they have achieved an "aggressive cooling system," they also struggle as their rivals recover. PU trouble is a "major point of regret"
https://www.as-web.jp/f1/1114345?allRed Bull started using a cooling system that prioritized aerodynamics last year, and HRC made efforts to meet those demands. Specifically, the power unit cooling has margins in various areas to ensure reliability, but by discussing those margins with the team and changing the way the car is driven or the specifications of the cooling system, it is possible to eliminate areas that are not necessary. This allowed Red Bull to design the aerodynamics aggressively while still ensuring reliability.
As a result, Max Verstappen won two consecutive races at the start of the season for Red Bull Honda RBPT. The highlight of the first half of the season for Red Bull Honda RBPT was the Japanese GP, which was held in spring this year. Verstappen set the fastest lap and won the race, while his teammate Sergio Perez finished in second place. Shintaro Orihara (trackside general manager) of HRC also said the following.
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"HRC's best race was our home Grand Prix at Suzuka. Red Bull finished one-two and RB's (Tsunoda) Yuki got his first points win at Suzuka."
However, for Red Bull Honda RBPT, this one-two finish at the Japanese GP was their last one-two in the first half of the season, and after this, the weaknesses of the RB20 gradually became apparent: the low, stiff suspension system that was designed to maximize aerodynamic efficiency.
In fact, this weakness was also present last year, and was the cause of the team's defeat at the Singapore GP, which had a bumpy road surface. However, the team developed the RB20 without fundamentally resolving this problem. This year, apart from the Singapore GP, where the team was not particularly noticeable due to the poor performance of its rivals last year, the team struggled at the Australian GP, which had a bumpy road surface, and the Canadian GP, which had a circuit with high curbs.
It also became clear that there were issues with the aerodynamics that prioritized aerodynamic efficiency. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, where there was less need to prioritize aerodynamic efficiency, Max Verstappen ran a completely different aero specification to the one he had been using until the first half of the season.
Furthermore, Honda's power units, which had been highly reliable until last year, also experienced unexpected problems. The biggest of these was a high-voltage problem that occurred in Max Verstappen's power unit at the 9th race, the Canadian Grand Prix.
"The problem with Max's power unit during free practice at the Canadian Grand Prix is a major lesson learned from the first half of the season. Not only did we lose track time, we also lost an engine."
The cause of the problem has now been identified and a fix has been put in place, and special testing of other engines in the pool has confirmed they do not suffer from the same problem as the Canadian Grand Prix, so it is unlikely that Verstappen will suffer a similar problem.
However, the price was high. Having lost one engine, Verstappen and Red Bull decided to take a penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix and put in a fifth ICE for the second half of the season. Last year, Verstappen also received a 10-place grid penalty for an engine change at the Belgian Grand Prix, but he went on to win the race.
However, they only managed to finish 4th in this year's Belgian Grand Prix. This is because the three rival teams, Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren, who were in a slump in the first half of last year, have regained their form since the second half of last year and have regained their form since the first half of this year. This is also evident from the fact that this season has been a close one, with seven winners in the first half of the season alone.
Last year, there were only three winners throughout the season, and only five in 2022, but this year there have been seven winners in just the first half of the season. The most recent season with seven or more winners was 2012, when there were eight winners, and the championship race went all the way to the final race.
For Verstappen to win the Drivers' Championship for the fourth consecutive year, he must accumulate as many points as possible in the Singapore GP, Qatar GP, and Las Vegas GP, where he struggled last year. Furthermore, he must not allow any fatal problems to occur not only with the power unit but also with the car body.
For Red Bull Honda RBPT to defend the constructors' championship, it is essential that Verstappen and his teammate score points. Red Bull held a meeting after the Belgian GP and decided to continue with Perez. The success or failure of that decision will be questioned in the second half of the season.