Honda clipping "skewed" Red Bull's speed deficit in Sochi
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the team's straightline deficit at the Russian Grand Prix was "skewed" by Honda's power unit running out of battery deployment on the long straights.
The nature of the Sochi circuit, with very few heavy braking zones and long flat-out sections, make it hard for the turbo hybrid engines to recover enough power throughout each lap to run at maximum boost for the entire length of the circuit.
That results in what is known as 'clipping' - when the power unit runs out of the extra 160hp battery boost towards the end of the straights.
With Red Bull having sent a radio message to Max Verstappen that he was losing six tenths of a second on the straights to race leader Valtteri Bottas, it was clear where the Mercedes advantage lay.
But Horner says that the performance in Russia was not representative of how the Honda stacks up at other venues where energy recovery is easier.
"I think this circuit was always going to be difficult for us," explained Horner. "We had quite a lot of clipping here and I think that has an effect.
"So I think it was sort of skewed by that energy recovery. But we knew that before we got here. So it was always going to be a more challenging race for us."
Horner was in no doubt Mercedes had the quicker car in Russia, so Verstappen's runner up position was probably better than the team could realistically have hoped for anyway.
"I think Mercedes had a faster car than us this weekend," he said. "Obviously we've benefited from Lewis's penalty, but I think, Max has just extracted every ounce of performance out of the car throughout the weekend. It's our best result here in the six years that we've been coming."
Asked if he felt Verstappen was actually outperforming the car at the moment, Horner replied: "Well, a car will only go as fast as somebody can drive it.
"We know that Max is driving at a very high level: we know that Lewis is capable of doing the same. Max, his qualifying lap in particular was sensational, and in the race he made no mistakes at all. It was a very mature and measured performance."
Related video
Previous article
Was Hamilton's Sochi defeat inevitable even without penalties?
Next article
The Sochi tech tweaks amid the midfield arms race
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Event | Russian GP |
| Teams | Red Bull Racing |
| Author | Jonathan Noble |
Why Verstappen isn't interested in the hype game
In a pre-season where Red Bull has been unusually quiet, Max Verstappen has also been guarded about the team's fortunes in 2021. Even after trying the RB16B for the first time at Silverstone, the Dutchman was careful to manage expectations
The pros and cons of F1's 2021 rule changes
In the strategy for grand prix racing's future, 2021 represents a significant step towards the goal of closer racing and a more level playing field. That's the theory behind the latest raft of changes, but will they have the desired effect?
What Red Bull is trying to hide with its RB16B launch
Red Bull made no secret of the fact its 2021 F1 car is an evolution of its predecessor, but in keeping the same foundations while hiding some tightly-guarded updates with its RB16B, the team aims to avoid suffering the same pitfalls of previous years
How Albon plans to fight his way out of Red Bull limbo
Alex Albon has faced the media for the first time since he lost his Red Bull drive at the end of 2020 and dropped out of a Formula 1 race seat altogether. He has a history of bouncing back from setbacks, so here's what he must do to rise again
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
Why Alfa's 2021 launch says more about its 2022 plans
Alfa Romeo launched its C41 with a revised front nose, but there's little to suggest it will surge up the leaderboard in 2021. As the team frankly admits, it's putting its eggs in the basket labelled 2022 and hoping to hold the eighth place it earned last year
Why Gasly’s AlphaTauri haven is a blessing and a curse
Red Bull opted not to re-sign Pierre Gasly even before it decided to drop Alex Albon and so the Frenchman's Formula 1 journey will continue at AlphaTauri. This has positive and negative connotations for one of last season's star performers.
Eight things Red Bull must do to beat Mercedes in 2021
After seven years of defeat at the hands of Mercedes, Red Bull is as hungry as ever to secure a fifth world championship. But there are key challenges it must overcome in 2021 to switch from challenger to conqueror
