Verstappen drives “the beast” Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer

Verstappen has won the last three F1 championships with Honda hybrid powertrains on the back of the Red Bull RB16B, RB18 and RB19 in as many seasons. But in the context of the Miami GP earlier this year, he found himself in a completely different Honda hybrid setup.

The Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer is actually an 800 horsepower “beast” built by HRC to form the basis for the development of future technologies for the American IndyCar Championship cars.

Its body shares some common components with the production SUV, but is powered by the V6 turbo hybrid engine that Honda is developing for the 2024 Indycars championship. The six-cylinder heat engine works with an Empel electric motor and a supercapacitor. from Skeleton Technologies. In total they achieve an output of 800 hp.

We saw a similar supercapacitor in the Lamborghini Sian. Although supercapacitors don’t have the ability to store as much electricity – or for as long – as a classic battery, they are more efficient and can provide more energy at an astonishing speed.

This makes supercapacitors ideal for racing cars. And their energy can be used in different ways: either by giving a “burst of power” at the push of a button for overtaking, by supplementing the power of the combustion engine, or by smoothing the turbo’s response to improve handling.

Honda supplies engines to five IndyCar Championship teams, and the new 2024 hybrid powertrain is part of the sport’s electrification plan that will begin in the new year. This hybrid drive has nothing to do technologically with the one used by Honda in Formula 1, although the latter also has a V6 turbo thermal engine.

IndyCars’ V6 has a capacity of 2.2 liters, while F1’s has 1.6 liters, with the angle of the V at 90 degrees. Another difference is that in 2024 the IndyCars’ powerplant will run on 100% renewable fuel (developed by Shell, using ethanol from sugar cane and other biomass as a raw material), which will be the same in Formula 1 with the 2026 engines will be the case.

The Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer is the prototype where Honda’s engineers let their imagination run wild. They mounted their hybrid powertrain onto the CR-V’s chassis, along with the IndyCar’s rear suspension and brakes (built by Dallara). The suspension and front brakes are from the Honda (Acura) NSX GT-3 Evo22 race car.

Honda says The Beast’s muscular – if not beastly – design is inspired by the wild Group B rally cars of the 1980s. Many of its body panels come from the production CR-V, although the underside is completely redesigned and made from carbon fiber.

The same applies to the prototype’s extensive aerodynamic aids, such as the huge rear wing, the sharp front splitter at the bottom of the nose and the sporty skirts on the fenders. Whether all of this will inspire Honda to build a hypothetical CR-V Type R is unknown, but it seems highly unlikely.

Back to Max Verstappen: The Dutchman had the opportunity to gain racing experience with this “beast” in Miami, where he attended the Formula 1 GP last May. “It was fun, I like it” commented the Red Bull Racing driver. “When braking, it’s easy for the rear wheels to lock, so I often accelerated a little to make things easier. And I like the sound too – it’s pretty pure.

Honda has now released the video of the F1 champion’s drive, which you can watch below.