Test, Day 1: Red Bull shows why energy will matter more than power

The first day of testing in Bahrain ends with the best time for Lando Norris’ McLaren, but it is above all Max Verstappen and Red Bull who are arousing interest. Toto Wolff talks about an RB22 capable of using more energy on the straight, especially in sequential laps, gaining a second per pass, according to him. Beyond the numbers, to be taken as always with a grain of salt at this stage, the qualities of the Milton Keynes project reaffirm that it will not be power alone that will decide the world championship. Between power and energy It is difficult to say how much Toto Wolff believes his own declarations and how much he is instead trying to relieve the pressure from his Mercedes, considered by everyone to be the favourite. In any case, his observations are confirmed by Federico Albano’s data, which highlights excellent straight-line performance of the Red Bull-Ford powered cars, in particular of the Milton Keynes team. What is especially striking are the results in the laps in succession, a true test in terms of energy, demonstrating that never before this year will competitiveness in race pace count more than performance in qualifying. Repeatedly expressing high speeds in a straight line is not a question of power, but of energy, quantities that are too often misunderstood, but extremely different. If power is the final result, i.e. the thrust offered by the power unit, energy is instead the raw ‘material’, the resource necessary to sustain a certain power for a long time. The greater the energy availability, the longer it is possible to use an engine, especially an electric one. More than the absolute power, therefore, what counts is its time of use, a practice where there is no secret to becoming the best. The project The design features are just some of the factors that make the difference. For the hybrid part, from the battery to the electric motor, passing through the inverter, the key word is efficiency, i.e. limiting the energy dissipated in the form of heat as much as possible, even if in this field the differences are in the order of fractions of a percentage point. The thermal management of these elements is also very important, as they must work at sufficiently high temperatures, but without exaggerating. The risk is that their prolonged use in sequential laps leads to rapid overheating and derating, i.e. a loss of power which may be physiological, but also desired to preserve the power unit. It is not a new phenomenon in hybrid Formula 1, which is now much more invasive than in previous years. The concept of the petrol engine, however, plays its part. A combustion engine designed to express maximum power, for example, inevitably sacrifices torque at low revs, absorbing more energy from the hybrid to compensate for the lack of thrust when exiting corners. Finally, there is the aerodynamic appearance, the efficiency of which determines straight-line resistance and with it energy consumption and availability. Much of this also depends on the active aerodynamics, three times more powerful than the old DRS. Those who design have reiterated several times that this is a field where a difference can be made and where in fact the most disparate solutions are already being observed. Photograph by Vladimir Rys Preparation Woe betide, however, if you think that the values ​​on the field are frozen and linked solely to the cars, the use of which on the track, by both the driver and the team, greatly affects the ability to deliver more energy on the straight. We continue to talk about energy management, that is, understanding at which points on the track to lift your foot to recharge and where instead to exploit the hybrid part. This is a task entrusted partly to the control unit, whose software will be the subject of constant and important development like the aerodynamic one, and partly to the driver. At Ferrari, Hamilton speaks of such a difficulty that it requires a degree to manage everything, reflecting a Formula 1 in which the driving style must be rethought. Energy management is an all-round science, which even affects the selection of gears to make the engine work at optimal speeds for charging the battery. Even the trajectories must be studied carefully, given that the speed at the apex determines the length of braking and therefore the energy recovered in the battery, but also that spent in the subsequent acceleration. The teams are already fearing compromise choices in terms of set-up, sacrificing driveability in favor of a better charging strategy. Everything is even more difficult with these cars, which have little aerodynamic load but have a lot of thrust from the electric part even at low speeds. Hence the numerous countersteering seen on the track, outlining a picture that enhances Verstappen’s sensitivity. Red Bull’s first success Overall, it’s too early to say for sure whether Red Bull has an actual lead, but even then it wouldn’t necessarily be set in stone. Preparation will be crucial to mastering the art of energy management, making it even more important to rack up the miles at this stage, as the Milton Keynes stable is surprisingly doing. No one knows whether Verstappen will get his hands on his fifth crown, but for a company that has never built an engine before, much less a Formula 1 hybrid power unit, getting it running smoothly straight away is a success worthy of recognition.