Christian Horner has revealed that Honda are "pushing as hard as they can" as they make final adjustments to Red Bull's power unit ahead of the engine freeze coming into effect in a matter of weeks. Whilst Honda officially left Formula 1 at the end of the 2021 season, the Japanese manufacturer continue to work with Red Bull as part of the transition towards the team building their own power units under the Red Bull Powertrains facility. The homologation deadline for the engine freeze is 1 March, whilst changes can still be made to the MGU-K, Energy Store and Control Electronics until 1 September. From then on, the power unit will be frozen until the end of 2025.
One month left for final upgrades
In an exclusive interview with RacingNews365.com , Horner explained that the Honda team are working hard to make any upgrades needed in the final month before the homologation freeze comes into effect. "There's a month [left to work on it]," the Red Bull Team Principal said. "Obviously the Honda guys are pushing as hard as they can. But then once you go under the homologation curtain, that's it." Horner also dismissed any speculation that the engine has not been developed greatly from the 2021 model, other than the addition of the new E10 fuel. "It's a completely new engine," he added. In terms of the ERS updates which are allowed until the 1 September deadline, Horner says that these will happen if the team "find an improvement".
One change to Honda relationship
Even though Honda have officially left F1, the relationship between the manufacturer and Red Bull appears much the same. However, there is one key difference, in that Red Bull now pay for upgrades such as the ERS updates. "We're paying for technology," Horner explained. "We're grateful that Honda have provided that olive branch as we transition to being a power unit manufacturer."
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