To be honest, Red Bull cannot look more foolish than Boullier at McLaren announcing at the end of last year they had the best chassis. He predicted that a switch to Renault engines would bring them at the front of the pack! We know what happened to that; he resigned in disgust! I hope Red Bull will approach its partnership with Honda in 2019 with more humility. Or maybe not ...
Only move they have, really. They need all the data they can. STR is not in the championship by a long shot, and in the end, what's good for Red Bull, is good for STR. If suffering this year means a stronger engine for next year, one where they can run in the top 10 at most races next year....worth the punt. On top of that, that means that James Key and his team can work on a 2019 car earlier than their immediate competitors, who'll try hardest to squeeze a few extra tenths out of their car to try and get one up on their rivals.
Martin Brundel said what Ive been thinking all along in regards to Max's Renault engine failure today...... .....It might be the way they install the engine as to why they are having so many problems not the Renault engine itself. I mean, Red Bull is a team that is very chassis focused. Now that Renault is back, they are designing the engine in favour of their chassis. Red Bull might be pulling a McLaren(to a less degree) and putting chassis well above engine instillation and sacrificing reliability. Yes Renault are having issues as well BUT it just seems that Red Bull are having major issues more frequent.
First, I wouldn’t blame Renault if RBR got the engines that made funny noises while breaking in on the dyno...but... DR’s failure last week was “in the exhaust” ...a part that I’m sure is bespoke to RBR. Perhaps Renault supply the header, but with all the tricks they are trying to employ with exhaust gasses, the majority of the “exhaust” is an RBR design. As usual, they scream and yell at their partners, but did we hear a mea culpa that the exhaust was their issue...? Nope. Horner and Mario deserve a hand full of nuts and bolts loosely taped inside the inlet tract.
Renault doesn't give RBR new parts when they are available...how many times have heard ''look you have to use an old part because we haven't got enough parts available''? **** last year they had to mcgyver some part together from multiple units! The facts are that Renault produced an engine that is underpowered, unreliable in all cars, less fancy engine modes than Mercedes/Ferrari engines....yet charge a ****load of money for and never are there any decent spare parts available....yet are being charged millions for. I'd too be a bit sour. RBR had a small chance of competing for the title. Imagine if their drivers didn't **** up when they did....but they'd lose the title because of the unreliable renault engine? Of course their drivers did make mistakes so the point became moot, but it's still ''annoying'' to say the least. And the engine rules being as they are...a team can't very well build their own engine because they don't like their own. It takes retarded amount of money.
What do you think of DR’s exhaust issue that ended his race last weekend? RBR called it a power unit problem...which implies that it was a Renault issue. Did you notice that he didn’t replace any of the power unit and, therefore, wasn’t penalized? That’s because it was part of the car that failed...the exhaust that RBR engineered and built. Did RBR ‘fess up and take the hit? Nope. Horner is the biggest whiner in F1. They create their own bad luck and I’m fine with that.
I think the reason he's not said anything is quite simply because they're in the middle of a divorce...what's there to gain by saying ''oh listen, it wasn't the Renault PU this time, it was our own part that failed...''. F1 doesn't care much for that. Maybe he did say it (I haven't looked and would be surprised to see it), but such news items don't really sell so won't see it printed. Fact of the matter is, the Renault engine has never produced much power and has failed far more often than the Mercedes/Ferrari units....in all renault powered cars. So it's not a Red Bull exclusive issue. It's frustrating for Red Bull because with a bit more extra power (not even on parr with Merc/Ferrari) and reliability they'd have been fighting for wins and likely championships. Whilst Mclaren was cheeky (to say the least) with their claims of having the best chassis/aero, Red Bull had a far better claim for it, often fighting for the podium with the Ferrari's since 2014, and occasionally snatching the win. I've no doubt that if they had decent power/reliability they'd have been fighting Mercedes for the championship 2014 till now. And Renault has promised time and time again about updates, none of them being any good. That's where the frustration from Horner comes from. Back in the V8 days, Renault also had a power deficit, but because the engines where much closer in overall power output, they could make up for it by doing the best homework and produce the best chassis/aero package...
I think there's no doubt that they are going from a paying Renault situation to being paid by Honda. The switch was a no-brainer.
It would be a no brainier for Williams or Force India...but RBR is not hurting for money. I'm skeptical about the whole Honda thing and think that Horner will be whining by this time next year.
We'll find out. But, judging by STR's stellar result of today, I'm betting they'll be contenders from the start of next season.
uhhhmmmm . . . . . me? You? Feel free to remind me. I'm 66 on Tuesday and . . . . what are we talking about? The Cubs? The jagoffs?
Agree to an extent Rob. Gotta see a trend line going forward and upward. I guess swapping and sending those engines to Japan for complete teardowns and analysis might be starting to pay-off. Hopefully things turn around for the Honda unit in the second half of the season.....as some of us will be watching closely.
You do realize that they are only ahead of Sauber and Williams. Kicking ass? Wow... maybe a participation trophy is in order. I can see the engraving, "we beat Williams and one other team." One race does not make OR excuse an otherwise not so great year.
As McLaren have shown, jumping from one second rate engine supplier to another second rate engine supplier doesn’t yield good results, just second rate ones. RBR are aiming to achieve the exact same thing next year. You can script the Max and Ricci radio outbursts already...
Tif, thread aside, I’ll forget otherwise - HAPPY BIRTHDAY for Tuesday!!!!!!!!!!! Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
There can be friendly divorces. Horner is a putz for constantly and publicly blaming Renault...EVEN WHEN THE FAULT LIES WITHIN AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RENAULT. Honda beware.
