For the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Red Bull has disputed that Max Verstappen’s car will be upgraded with a new “super-engine.”
Rumours circulated earlier this week, according to other reports, that the Dutch driver would race with a new engine this weekend, with Honda using a more aggressive power mapping to counter Mercedes’ self-titled “spicy engine.”
At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Mercedes introduced a new engine for Lewis Hamilton, resulting in a five-place grid penalty that did nothing to stop him from storming to victory thanks to the benefit of a new ICE (Internal Combustion Engine), which was also rumored to be running in a higher power mapping with the obvious trade-off of longevity.
The rumour surrounding Verstappen was that Honda was planning to follow suit with an engine that would run closer to its peak performance, with only two races required.
However, a Red Bull official has clarified that these claims are false, and that Red Bull has no plans to field Verstappen with a new engine, nor that a grid penalty is on the way.
Verstappen is said to have two engines left in his allocation, both with a lot of miles on them.
Honda’s degradation not as dramatic as Mercedes’
Mercedes has been open about its power units degrading quickly this season, so Hamilton’s power advantage may not be as apparent at the Jeddah street track as it was at Interlagos, even with the “spicy engine” from Brazil.
Honda, on the other hand, is thought to be able to achieve a considerably more consistent power output across the lifetime of their engines, allowing them to explore more potential without worrying about reliability – something Mercedes does not have.
This could explain why there was no rush to deliver Verstappen a new engine for the power-hungry Saudi Arabia track, given the rewards for Red Bull may not be as high as they are for Mercedes.
Could it happen in Abu Dhabi?
While a new engine isn’t planned for Jeddah, the team isn’t ruling out the prospect of one for the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
“An engine change is not planned in Saudi Arabia at the moment,” Red Bull’s Helmut Marko said. “If it is, it will come in Abu Dhabi.”
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