Is Red Bull losing time because of this? 'Honda victim of new engine rules'

Max Verstappen had the same strategy as Valtteri Bottas in Sochi. However, the Finn managed to outrun the Dutchman every round and in the end Verstappen was never really a danger to Bottas. Christian Horner said earlier that the circuit in Russia has always been difficult, but that could be due to their Honda engine.

The pit wall of Red Bull Racing had already warned Verstappen during the race that he was losing six tenths per lap on the straight from the leader. So it is clear that the Honda engine cannot achieve the same electrical power over a whole lap as the Mercedes engine can. 

Honda's biggest victim

According to Horner, it is the clipping of the engine, but according to the Italian branch of Motorsport.com the problem lies elsewhere. Honda has had to turn down the turbo power, which means that the MGU-H can charge less from the boost pressure of the turbo. Because the engines have to remain in a single position during the race, the position of the engine and the turbo cannot be adjusted either.

As a result, it seems as if Honda has become the heaviest victim of the rules so emphatically pushed by Red Bull. In addition to a loss of speed from Mercedes in qualifying, the new rules have therefore also resulted in a loss of speed from Red Bull in the race.