There is no doubting the talent of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez and for many this partnership will be the strongest on the F1 grid in 2021. Nevertheless, talent can only take you so far – especially in the modern world of Formula One. If a team does not have a strong power unit, the skill of a driver can pale into significance. Therefore, comments from Dr Helmut Marko, on Red Bull owned Servus TV channel, about Honda’s latest engine should fill Red Bull Racing fans (and neutral fans) with hope of a closely contested season. According to Dr Helmut Marko, this year’s Honda engine to be used by Red Bull Racing in 2021 is a “work of art”. Should this be the case, maybe the Silver Arrows will have something to fear having seen the Mercedes team be so dominant during the past decade.  

The 2021 Formula One season will be a year which will see Honda eager to exit the sport at the top. Red Bull Racing will utilize Honda’s intellectual property for at least the next three years but this is the final season that Honda power - by Honda - will run the Red Bull Racing challenger.

Unsurprisingly, Honda have thrown all their weight behind the 2021 power unit in the hope to finally beat the Mercedes power unit. The Silver Arrows are seeking to claim an eighth consecutive F1 Constructors’ Championship having dominated the last decade. However, following recent remarks by Red Bull Racing maestro Dr Helmut Marko, maybe Mercedes will have a real battle on their hands this year.

https://www.motorlat.com/notas/f1/19166/f1-russell-the-racing-in-f1-needs-to-improve-just-be-patient

“Honda have built a completely new engine. It’s a true work of art in terms of its compactness and the way it fits into the Red Bull,” Dr Helmut Marko announced on the ‘Sport and Talk From Hangar 7’ show on the Red Bull-owned Servus TV channel.

“The engine also has more power and is an improvement that brings us up to Mercedes’ level…I am very confident about the Honda engine. There were some problems in the preparation but that was due to carelessness. It was nothing to indicate serious mechanical or electronic problems.”

Honda could very well have produced something special but this does not mean that Mercedes have not also extended their own capability and performance level. A team does not dominate a decade and win seven straight F1 Constructors’ Championships by standing still and this is something that Dr Helmut Marko is well aware of - but is still cautiously optimistic:

“Mercedes are the clear favourites,” stated the mastermind behind the Red Bull Racing Young Driver program “We know they don’t sleep, so I hope their jump isn’t that big now that their engine is already in its eighth year. That development curve has to start flattening out somewhere…If you look at the past few years, we are better positioned this year than we have been in the last seven years. We want the World Championship, even if we go into the season as outsiders.”

“Going to an engine supplier is not in the Red Bull spirit. For this reason, we are setting up Red Bull Powertrains, our own engine shop on our campus…We have the technical means to be able to develop a motor ourselves that is much simpler and cheaper.”

Pre-season testing this coming weekend should give an insight into how the Honda power unit will perform and Red Bull Racing’s drivers are raring to go.

Red Bull Racing’s talisman Max Verstappen has said ‘I hope those one and a half days will go well. It is important, because we need to do as many kilometres as possible with the car and to get used to it. To start the first Grand Prix weekend as well prepared as possible.’ Meanwhile, Sergio Perez wrote on his social media ‘Just a few more days to be in the car. It has been a very intense offseason, with a lot of work. I’m in the best shape of my life and hungrier than ever.’

The drivers are ready, the RB16B is ready and we will know soon enough whether Red Bull Racing...is ready for Mercedes.