Honda and McLaren have been secretive about the changes they are going to have with their power unit for the Formula 1 season ahead based on what they have learned over the last 2 years. This is going to change as Tim Goss, McLaren's technical director, confirmed that there will be a layout and architecture revamp ready for the season ahead.
Goss has also indicated that they will implement what they have learned from past seasons. According to a post from MotorSport.com, Goss says, "The new power unit takes much of the learning from the past two seasons...but has been specifically redesigned for this season."
What Will Honda and McLaren Do to Their Engine Now?
No details of the said engine revamp has been revealed but the post at MotorSport.com says that sources are confirming that Yusuke Hasegawa has given the blessing for Honda to deviate from their compact concept called "size zero", a design that they have used for 2 years now. Hasegawa is Honda's F1 chief. The said new design will aim at making the engine housing as tight as it can be.
How is It That Team Honda- McLaren Copies Mercedes' F1 Engine Style?
The new Honda-McLaren engine design will also feature a split turbine and compressor located inside the margins of the V-bank. Thinking that the new engine will have more negative effects than positive, Honda has decided to put the compressor at one end of the block and the turbo situated on the other end. With that said, it seems that what Honda and McLaren are doing is similar to Mercedes' style. Placing the twin turbo-charging system joined by a shaft between the V-bank's inside is the way to go.
Water intercooler will be placed in an area between the engine and chassis, which will greatly help with the power unit's center of gravity. Currently, work is ongoing at Honda's test benches located in Sakura, Japan. The dimensions of the current power unit may be slightly larger compared to what was used before but McLaren managed to compensate it by packaging a very tight rear-end to the MP4-32.
Honda has been pouring their efforts specifically on improving their internal combustion performance. With that aim, it is very much expected that they will adopt a multi-jet injector just what like what Ferrari has done with their Turbo Jet Ignition system.
Modifications starting the next season can be considered unlimited due to the fact that F1 has just discontinued the token system for engine development. At this point, it is expected that other F1 teams will also do certain steps to improve their engines to win the next Formula 1 season. Below is how a Mercedes F1 split turbo engine works:
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