Formula 1 Brazilian GP
Red Bull: Hamilton's new F1 engine worth "couple of tenths"
Red Bull believes that Lewis Hamilton’s fresh engine is worth a few tenths at Formula 1’s Brazilian Grand Prix – but it remains confident about its chances for the race.
Jonathan Noble
Edited: Nov 13, 2021, 3:06 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Hamilton proved dominant in Friday’s qualifying session at Interlagos as he secured pole position for Saturday’s sprint, ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
But while a fresh engine has given Hamilton some extra power for the qualifying days, it does mean he takes a five-place grid drop for the grand prix on Sunday.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner reckons the margin between Hamilton and his third fastest teammate Valtteri Bottas can be explained by the new power unit – and shows the gains that have been unleashed.
Speaking to Sky before both Hamilton and Verstappen were put under investigation by the stewards, Horner said: “That fresh engine's obviously pumping out some horsepower for him. So I think second was the best that we could hope for. So to be up there on the front row, we're okay with that.”
Asked how much the new engine was worth, Horner said: “It's difficult for us to be able to predict that, but if you look at the relative speed compared to Valtteri, it's a couple of tenths. So that's obviously why they've chosen to take it here.”
Despite feeling Hamilton has a power advantage, Horner said Red Bull was pretty happy with the performance of its car – and felt there remained a good opportunity for Verstappen because of Hamilton’s grid drop.
“I think we've got a good race car,” he said. “It's going to get hotter through the weekend. The tyres are going to be a factor here. It was even pretty cool today, but let's see in the race tomorrow.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko reckoned that the 0.4 seconds margin between Hamilton and Verstappen was not representative of their true pace.
“Max didn't have an optimal lap, so the real gap is two tenths,” he said. “Nevertheless that is big enough for this circuit with the short lap times.
“Normally our race speed is better than qualifying, and that is the hope for tomorrow. And it will also be a tyre thing. Does the medium hold up when you fully attack? Being on the front row is actually satisfying, but the gap is something we were not happy about. But nothing is lost yet. If we can finish like this, we'll start the race from pole position. We couldn't expect anything more right now.”
Although Verstappen was struggling to look after his front tyres in the cool conditions on Friday, Horner believes higher temps for the remainder of the weekend will shift the focus to the rears.
“I think that the race will be a different set of circumstances,” he said. “We've talked about the front axle, but it'll probably be about the rear axle in the [sprint] race tomorrow and particularly on Sunday with a hotter temperature. So I actually think we've got a quite a decent racecar here. So let's see.”
Read Also:
- The key issues behind the Hamilton/Verstappen F1 investigations
- Mercedes explains Hamilton F1 engine penalty decision in Brazil
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article The key issues behind the Hamilton/Verstappen F1 investigations
Next article Mercedes F1 engine reliability concerns a legacy of 2019 Ferrari fight
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jonathan Noble
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Formula 1
Formula 1
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
More from
Lewis Hamilton
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
21 h
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Why Ferrari caved in to Lewis Hamilton’s failed Singapore F1 gamble
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Why Ferrari caved in to Lewis Hamilton’s failed Singapore F1 gamble
More from
Red Bull Racing
Christian Horner clears air on “dream job” Ferrari rumours and sets return terms
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
3 h
Christian Horner clears air on “dream job” Ferrari rumours and sets return terms
Christian Horner “wasn’t given a reason” for his “painful” Red Bull exit after Dietrich Mateschitz’s death
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
6 h
Christian Horner “wasn’t given a reason” for his “painful” Red Bull exit after Dietrich Mateschitz’s death
Latest news
13 Autosport retains unchanged lineup for 2027 IMSA campaign, eyes global expansion
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 16 min
13 Autosport retains unchanged lineup for 2027 IMSA campaign, eyes global expansion
Bourdais, Moss headline second batch of Sebring's 75 all-time greatest drivers
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 34 min
Bourdais, Moss headline second batch of Sebring's 75 all-time greatest drivers
IndyCar driver and Fox Sports reporter Jack Harvey announces cancer diagnosis
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 42 min
IndyCar driver and Fox Sports reporter Jack Harvey announces cancer diagnosis
Cadillac’s F1 brakes are still a problem: ‘I had to lift and coast on lap two’
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
1 h
Cadillac’s F1 brakes are still a problem: ‘I had to lift and coast on lap two’
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe