A Honda engine upgrade likely for the Russian Grand Prix could put them ahead of Renault in the power stakes, according to Auto Motor und Sport.
GPS data seen by the German publication estimates that the Japanese manufacturer current sits 15 horsepower behind their French counterparts with 715hp compared to Renault’s 730hp.
That puts both some way off the 780hp and 790hp figures suggested for Mercedes and Ferrari respectively, with the additional 160hp from the ERS taking the Scuderia to 950hp in total.
Though another upgrade by Honda wasn’t expected until Austin, Dutch outlet Ziggo Sport claims it will now be used in Sochi with AMuS suggesting a 35hp gain is likely and would, therefore, move them ahead of Renault by 20hp.
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If true, all this will be music to the ears of Red Bull who take on the Japanese units in 2019 in place of Renault and could be reportedly set to introduce a new Spec-B engine for Max Verstappen in Russia following his issues with the Spec-C in Singapore.
The Dutchman was suffering from false neutrals and variable power and torque delivery throughout the weekend, leading to him almost retiring, he claimed, behind the Safety Car.
“We accepted the risks when we took this engine. It has delivered a bit more power and it has been a bit rough around the edges,” team boss Christian Horner said after the race.
“But with the increase in power from it that helped get on to the front row yesterday and helped to achieve a second position today.”