What was the cause of Red Bull’s double knockout? The two RB18s equipped with the latest 2022 specs for E10 fuel, which was given the badge name of “Red Bull Powertrains” following the Honda F1 power unit, disappeared one following another in the final stage of the opening Bahrain GP.
In addition to overheating the brakes and deteriorating machine balance, Max Verstappen damaged the track rod during the third jackdown at the pit stop when the safety car was introduced. The Honda V6 turbo died in the final phase with three laps remaining.
Not only did he lose as many as 18 championship points, but his teammate Sergio Perez had the same fate in the final lap, setting up Ferrari’s 1-2 finish.
After a nightmare, team representative Christian Horner said, “It seems that the two cars had the same problem. I still don’t know exactly if it’s a lift pump, a collector, or something like that. What’s the cause? You have to know exactly what it is. “
Fuel calculation error
When the fuel tank becomes empty, the fuel supplied to the engine naturally stops. Did Red Bull make a mistake in the fuel calculation?
This scenario is unlikely.
After the race, Christian Horner said, “We need to disassemble the fuel system to find out the cause of the problem, because there was fuel left,” denying the possibility of zero fuel.
Common parts fuel pump
Red Bull’s Double DNF wasn’t just because it was a sensational incident. In fact, following the qualifying, the FIA had issued a special notice that was worrisome.
Article 40, Paragraph 6 of the F1 Sporting Regulations stipulates that the machine should be sealed within two hours of the end of qualifying, but the FIA suddenly extended this deadline by one hour. It was “for inspection of the fuel primer pump”.
The route from the fuel tank to the engine is as follows.
- Fuel tank
- Lift pump
- collector
- Primer pump
- Team fuel flow meter
- Fuel flow meter for FIA
- High pressure fuel pump
- injector
- engine
Fuel primer pumpStandard Supply Component (SSC)It is a so-called common part classified as, and is not within the responsibility of Honda and Red Bull Powertrains. It is manufactured by Marelli and the high-pressure fuel pump is made by Bosch.
Although the details are unknown, it is said that several teams including the original Maranello team equipped with Ferrari power unit “066/7” and Haas suffered a malfunction around the fuel pump in the Bahrain test. It is considered to be a measure.
However, no team exchanged this under the parc ferme following qualifying. Red Bull changed only the friction material of the rear brakes of both machines, the gearbox oil filter of car No. 11 driven by Perez.
Christian Horner would have immediately made a critical comment if he suspected a problem with the fuel pump, which is a common part, even if only a little, but he didn’t.
Horner admitted that he had filed an application under the FIA’s notice and tested the primer pump, but said that “it was not a Red Bull-specific problem, but a general problem (common to all teams).” , Implying that the primer pump is not the cause of retirement.
Percolation
Percolation is also possible, not a hardware problem.
Percolation refers to a phenomenon in which bubbles are generated in the fuel as the temperature of the fuel rises, making it impossible to supply sufficient fuel to the inside of the engine. It was often seen in the cab car era, but it does not mean that it will never occur if it is an injector.
The two RB18s had the same trouble at regarding the same time. It should be noted that a safety car (SC) was introduced just before that.
The race of the day was held under the conditions of 22.5 to 24.1 degrees Celsius and 26.3 to 29.2 degrees Celsius. Just as Verstappen was blocked from pursuing Charles Leclerc by overheating the brakes, temperature was one of the determinants of the race.
During the SC lap, I can’t run at racing speed, and cooling is often a problem.
Generally, E10 fuel containing 10% ethanol has a higher vapor pressure than E0 fuel, and it is said that when the vapor pressure is high, vapor lock is likely to occur in the fuel supply line at high temperatures.
As Horner said, “Everything is subjective at this point,” we don’t know anything for sure until the team announces the cause following a detailed investigation, but in any case it will remain by the next Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The grace period was only 5 days, and it is certain that an immediate response is required.
