F1 Red Bull Racing: Ho-Pin Tung heard Verstappen complaining on the radio about the Honda engine stuttering.

For Max Verstappen, it wasn’t just the tire temperature that was wrong during the Sprint Shootout in China. Viaplay analyst Ho-Pin Tung heard over the on-board radio that the Dutchman was complaining of a stuttering engine and points to the many corrections made by Verstappen when setting his fastest laps.

As raindrops fell on the Shanghai International Circuit, the Sprint Shootout suddenly became more exciting. It comes down to the driving skills of the driver. Tire temperatures weren’t good enough for Verstappen, but the Dutchman also complained on the on-board radio about the Honda’s power unit being ‘distorting’. According to Tung, it explains why Limburger’s RB20 broke out so often during its fast laps.

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Power unit

After the Sprint Shootout ended, Tung looked back at Verstappen’s performance and pointed to a stuttering engine. “If you don’t get the heat in the tires, which are harder and medium than with full wet, then you won’t get that grip. Bad fire it is related to the ignition of the engine and it is better to compare this with an engine that oscillates in certain parts and therefore does not give full power,” Tung explains. He points to the irregularities in the power delivery of the Honda unit.

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RB20 broke out

During the previous session, Verstappen was seen repeatedly making corrections and, according to Tung, that was also a sign that things were serious. “In this type of environment, it is very difficult when the engine falters, because if that is the case and you suddenly get the power back, then you have the problem of the engine cutting off, when you already have very little grip. that is also very clear in the on-board pictures of Verstappen. Consultant Helmut Marko also later indicated that a fault had been found in Verstappen’s RB20. It is unclear if this refers to the power unit specifically.

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