Red Bull Racing Honda will receive an added boost as it charges into the 2021 Formula One season thanks to a new fuel from Team partner ExxonMobil, developed specifically for 2021 and the updated Honda power unit.
The Synergy Race Fuel was developed in close collaboration with the Team’s power unit supplier, Honda, together with Red Bull engineers, and it focuses on delivering improved power, performance and protection.
With no fuel development permitted in 2020 and just one fuel specification allowed for this year, ExxonMobil’s diverse group of technicians focused their attention on the creation of a new formula for 2021, designing the new fuel in order to extract maximum performance from Honda’s RA621H power unit in the RB16B.
Commenting on the upgraded fuel, Red Bull Racing Honda Team Principal, Christian Horner, said: “Winning in Formula One comes as a result of an incredibly intricate process whereby competitive advantage is assembled from a huge variety of elements, all the way from aerodynamics through to horsepower and creating the optimum fuel for the power unit. Over the past year ExxonMobil’s specialists have worked closely with our engineers and those at Honda to give us a fuel that works in harmony with our new power unit and the RB16B. Each element is a hugely valuable weapon in the Team’s arsenal as we go into the fight for this year’s Formula One World Championship.”
ExxonMobil Global Motorsports Technology Manager, Tomek Young, said: “It is exciting to see how our technology partnership with Red Bull Racing Honda is continuing to innovate. Building on last year’s successes of zero engine penalties, this upgrade underlines our relentless pursuit of performance and reliability for Max and Checo this season. The racetrack is the ultimate proving ground and as part of the technical partnership with Red Bull Racing Honda, we want to continue to deliver performance enhancing technology, wherever we can. I have no doubt that the Esso Synergy Race Fuel will continue to contribute to Red Bull Racing Honda’s successes on track, in what promises to be an exciting season for the team.”
Pierre Waché, Red Bull Racing Honda Technical Director, added: “Unlocking performance in Formula One is always about understanding how each part of the car is affected by the components or systems around it. Fuel is a hugely important component and the right formulation has the potential to not only add raw power and increase efficiency but also to offer a manufacturer more diverse paths of development that help them optimise performance. The close working relationship between ExxonMobil, Honda and the Team has brought those advantages to RB16B and we are looking forward to seeing the results during this season.”
