Red Bull disputes claims that its V6 is Formula 1’s benchmark engine
The results of the FIA measurements that will determine which manufacturers can benefit from the ADUO system this season have already been communicated to the teams, although they have not yet been officially released to the public.
Based on what has emerged so far, and also thanks to comments made by Lewis Hamilton on June 7, the internal combustion engine developed by Red Bull Powertrains was reportedly judged to be the strongest in the field, even outperforming the highly regarded Mercedes V6.
“Red Bull has the most powerful engine, Mercedes is second and we are behind,” Lewis Hamilton said shortly after his victory at the Barcelona Grand Prix.
However, after becoming aware of these findings following the Monaco Grand Prix, Red Bull requested a review of the data. The Milton Keynes-based team believes the figures produced by the FIA do not accurately reflect the real-world performance of the internal combustion engines alone.
The FIA has therefore launched an additional review, which is currently ongoing ahead of the official publication of the results.
Laurent Mekies agrees with the rules, but not the conclusions
While waiting for the FIA’s final verdict, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies explained the team’s position regarding the ADUO framework and the methodology used to evaluate internal combustion engine performance.
Mekies stressed that Red Bull fully supports the principles behind the regulations.
“We completely agree that the regulations state that the objective should be to evaluate only the performance hierarchy of the internal combustion engine. We fully agree with that. We all accepted this framework. We do not believe that is where the problem lies.”
What Red Bull questions is the conclusion that its V6 should be considered the benchmark engine and therefore used as the reference point for determining the various levels of ADUO assistance available to rival manufacturers.
“Where we would certainly like to have a deeper discussion is the fact that we do not see a single piece of data indicating that we have an advantage over our friends at Mercedes.”
To support his argument, Laurent Mekies pointed to the last three Grands Prix of the season: Canada, Monaco and Barcelona. These are circuits where the importance of engine performance varies considerably.
According to Red Bull, the races where internal combustion engine power had the greatest influence on lap time — Canada and Barcelona — were precisely the weekends in which the team struggled the most.
“You would need an extremely high level of confidence in the methodology used to assess the performance hierarchy of the internal combustion engine in order to correctly assign the advantage to the dominant team rather than to the team chasing the dominant team.”
“Especially when you observe relative performance swings from one circuit to another that are perfectly consistent with sensitivity to internal combustion engine power. For example, you go to Canada, where V6 power sensitivity is high, and we qualify sixth. You go to Monaco, where engine power sensitivity is low, and we qualify around four hundredths away from pole position. Then you go to Barcelona, where power sensitivity is high again, and we qualify sixth once more.”
“We do not see a single data sample where we rate ourselves above the competition, let alone consistently.”
Mercedes-powered rivals continue to praise the Red Bull engine
From Red Bull’s perspective, hearing rival teams describe the Milton Keynes power unit as the strongest engine on the grid may seem ironic. There is also an obvious political dimension to the discussion, as competitors would naturally welcome a scenario in which all other manufacturers — including Mercedes — become eligible for ADUO support.
Nevertheless, praise for the Red Bull-Ford power unit is nothing new.
Several paddock observers were already impressed by Red Bull’s straight-line performance during the Bahrain winter tests, with some identifying the British-built engine as the strongest package available.
Now, just days before the FIA officially confirms the measurement results, several figures within Formula 1 have reiterated those same views.
“I’m not surprised. We said back in Bahrain that we were impressed by their car,” said Williams team principal James Vowles.
“They actually reduced the power later on, not because I made that comment, but during that same weekend. Even so, they were still able to do things on the straights that we simply couldn’t match. You can see the same thing with Racing Bulls. We cannot match them on the straights, and that comes from the internal combustion engine power. I’m not surprised they are the best. They did an extraordinary job over the winter.”
Carlos Sainz points to Racing Bulls as proof
Carlos Sainz shares a similar opinion.
Despite Williams enduring a difficult season with a car that has failed to make the expected leap toward the front of the grid, the Spanish driver believes the evidence strongly supports the idea that Red Bull currently possesses the strongest engine package in Formula 1.
“To be honest, it didn’t surprise me at all that the Red Bull V6 was considered the best,” Carlos Sainz said.
“I know it surprised a lot of people, but you know I like to study the data and look at things very carefully.”
“Since the Bahrain test, Red Bull has impressed me a lot. Both Red Bull and Racing Bulls. This year there have been circuits where the Red Bull engine was clearly the best.”
Like Laurent Mekies, Carlos Sainz acknowledged that there have been tracks where the advantage was less obvious. However, he remains convinced that Red Bull Powertrains has produced the current benchmark engine.
“It’s true that there have been other circuits where the advantage wasn’t as evident, but there were definitely races where, when they managed to fully exploit the potential of their engine — for example in Canada when conditions were cooler, or even in Monaco — Red Bull achieved the highest top speeds. Racing Bulls was right there with them.”
“When you see the same thing on two different cars, it’s not a coincidence. So honestly, congratulations to them, because arriving in Formula 1 and already producing an engine that is slightly better than Mercedes, Ferrari, Audi and Honda in your first year is an extraordinary achievement.”
“I take my hat off to them. Now it’s time for all of us to improve,” concluded the former Ferrari driver.
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