The 2022 Formula 1 season will not only be characterized by the introduction of ground effect single-seaters. The regulatory revolution has also affected the type of fuel and from this year E10 petrol will be used, a blend composed of 90% fossil fuel and 10% ethanol.
This change will result in a drop in the power of the current power units, but in recent months rumors have circulated according to which this deficit had already been largely filled.
The one who remains skeptical in this respect is Yasauki Asagi, Honda development manager still involved in the Japanese manufacturer’s project.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Asagi did not unbalance the percentage of power lost with the introduction of the new fuels.
“It’s a secret. It seems that the other manufacturers have said that the powers will remain unchanged, but it is difficult to be able to have the same power seen up to last year “.
“The introduction of E10 fuel was a great challenge. The engine architecture had already been set, so we had to make some changes to get the best performance with the new E10 petrol ”.
Fans admire a Honda F1 power unit
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Asagi then went into detail explaining the difficulties that the engine department of the House had to face.
“With the introduction of E10 fuel, for the same weight, power and energy are reduced and this is a characteristic of this fuel. On the other hand, the combustion we had with the old fuels will be easier to control now ”.
“We are aiming for maximum efficiency, but with the new E10 petrol both the engine power and the amount of energy produced will decrease”.
Finally, Asagi confirmed that much of the work on the 2022 power unit was set up towards the end of last season.
“There are always small corrections to make when you have problems, but if we hadn’t completed the whole project by the end of last year we wouldn’t have had the engine in time for the start of the season.”
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