Honda has done Adrian Newey a favour with new engine design

One of the reasons why Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen are so competitive this season is the new Honda power unit. With the emphasis on 'new', as Honda have brought forward their plans for 2022 by a year and therefore made a relatively big step in comparison to the competition.

"We revised every part and concept of our previous power unit and designed this year's engine as if we were starting from scratch," Toyoharu Tanabe told Auto Sport Web. This new power unit is not only improved in terms of power, but is also a bit smaller again, something that always comes in handy in Formula 1.

Honda does Newey a favour

"We have lowered the camshaft position and also the overall height of the engine. Now we have a compact package. Thanks to these innovations to the way the engine is placed in the frame, we have done a great service to aerodynamics because the airflow around the car has increased," Tanabe said.

Tanabe is referring to the fact that a compact chassis causes less turbulence. This gave designer Adrian Newey a more stable airflow which he can direct to the desired points to increase the downforce.