HONDA RA 616H
The new Honda power unit – the RA616H – keeps the same overall architecture as its troublesome predecessor, though it does feature a bigger compressor/MGU-H/turbine package.
One can notice that the installation of the air ducts has been changed. On the 2015 engine, two pipes, located on the right-hand side, were connecting the inlet plenum to the intercooler. On the 2016 power unit, the only duct visible is the one feeding compressed air to the inlet plenum. The second one, which channels compressed air towards the intercooler, can no longer be seen: it could sit further down though and connect to the lower part of the intercooler.
Finally, the Honda exhaust design has been optimised. In 2015, the log manifold solution was replaced during the season with a more conventional multi-tube layout that had to fit, for better or worse, in a pretty tight space. On the RA616H, the mounting points form a much more acute angle (compare the green outlines), which frees up more room to place three pipes concurrently.
