dren wrote:Postmoe wrote:IMO they have good peak power since Abu Dhabi 2015. In every single occasion they had the option to run rich they nailed top 5 laptimes, isolated or during 2-3 laps.
If that was the case I would expect better qualifying performance. I don't think the PU is competitive in peak performance yet. It certainly is a bit off the mark when in fuel-save mode relative to the rest.
I think we can assume also that a better combustion on lean + a better energy harvesting is key in the so called qualy mode, specially during the instalation lap. That could explain why Honda underperforms in qualifying but is able to have short bursts of raw power during the races.
This is only playing with ideas, but I wonder if qualy mode could be something beyond normal full power: very low fuel consumption in instalation with maximum harvesting and then.... kaboum! Minimum weight for the performance, extreme performance in weight sensitive scenarios and radical usage of the electronics on one single lap.
I'm inclined to believe that full power during the races is relativelly conservative because there is always one more lap to go. Qualy is different, you can run until you almost fry the power unit electronics and then cruise.
Do you remember when 2 flying laps were possible for those bold and talented enough to execute them?
And in any case, looking at size zero weaknesses, specially in the sensor area, it would make sense.