ESPImperium wrote:
The problem as I see, and hear it is this. The ICE can deliver more power, however it is unable as the TC can't get enough air into it as the MGU-K is too small and frankly unreliable, the MGU-H is trying to make up the slack, but the MGU-K is the bottleneck. The ES is pretty much reliable as it is to the same standard as the rest, as 14 & 22 both are on target id say, however 14 is maybe going to take a penalty for afresh ES later in the year.
If Honda got the MGU-K up to a standard that took the workload off the MGU-H, it would allow the MGU-H to do its job and also make the TC run at a proper efficiency to make the ICE run to full power.
I don't see how this is possible, the ICE will be running at full power unless it is unreliable for the ICE alone. The ICE requires a given rpm to get the air it needs to max out, if it's capable of hitting that rpm then the mgu-h/k can't bottleneck it. The mgu-h for harvesting will only reduce that air to the engine when harvesting, not increase it so it can't bottleneck it. If the engine maxed would push a higher than safe rpm they open the wastegate to bring the turbo rpm down, but still it has nothing to do with the mgu-h/k. They effect the overall PU efficiency and a problem with either means running a lower ICE setting to get to the end of the race on 100kg of fuel, but qualifying is effectively fuel unlimited but they are as far behind in qualifying as anywhere else.
What I've heard Arai say repeatedly(but in often badly translated english) is they run out of power down the straights and can't fill up the battery properly. If the mgu-h was harvesting fine and only the mgu-k was the limit I can't see why they'd have trouble with charging the battery, the mgu-h would charge it fully. I also can't imagine anyone would be incompetent enough to make a mgu-k not capable of pushing 160bhp. While I can see making an mgu-k that is too small with insufficient cooling this would once again be far more of an in race problem. For a single qualifying lap I can't believe they couldn't max out the mgu-k if the power was there from the battery/mgu-h.
At this stage of the season they would have gone maxed out on the mgu-k if the power was there for an uber qualifying lap, even a half lap before the mgu-k blew. They could show how S1 times were comparable to a better engine, they haven't because they can't not because they won't.
At this stage of the season if the mgu-k was either insanely unable to even hit 160bhp, or overheated so badly it couldn't be used for even half of what the other teams can do they would have used tokens to replace it by now. Instead they used tokens for a new turbo and mgu-h at Canada.
It's also turbo/mgu-h that keeps dying. They brought both new upgraded to Canada and promptly used 2 or 3 turbos/mgu-h's a piece without finishing a race before reverting to the old engine for Silverstone and finally finishing a race with that engine in Hungary, one of the lowest power tracks. The recent comments about needing to change the layout, again realistically a change of the mgu-k wouldn't need a layout change of the engine, change in chassis maybe but the mgu-k will almost certainly stay where it is. Hell, if the mgu-h/turbo isn't the issue why do they keep dying if they are just opening the wastegate and not even using it much why is it consistently failing?
All year long everyone has focused on and talked about stuffing a compressor in the V, having the mgu-h with limited space and cooling, a small compressor, lots of rumours that it has to run very fast(and not reliably) to generate the air it needs for the ICE. Running fast with a limited amount it can harvest is what explains pretty much everything about the engine.
The layout change will I'd bet good money, mean the compressor out of the V, more cooling on the mgu-h, increasing the size of the compressor/turbine and running a lower rpm as a result.
