Verstappen has 'plan B' if Honda project fails

Max Verstappen claims that he has a plan B if Red Bull's partnership with Honda doesn't produce a title challenge. Honda will become Red Bull's engine supplier next year after spending the 2018 season with its junior team, Toro Rosso.

Red Bull has not been in title contention throughout the V6 hybrid era, often citing the lack of power emitted from the Renault power unit as its biggest issue. Earlier this year, the Milton Keynes outfit announced that it would end its long-term partnership with Renault at the end of the season.

Honda made some evident improvements in 2018 with Toro Rosso, as it moved on from its disastrous three-year campaign with McLaren. Verstappen says that he has complete faith in Red Bull, and has called on Honda to produce the goods on the engine side. 

“I really like this team and I’m sure we can build the fastest car ever,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport. “We just need the engine to reach the right level. Next year we must try to go strong and set the stage for 2020, when the project is fighting for the title. There is always a Plan B.” he added.

'Red Bull never tire of praising Honda'

Tensions have been rising between Red Bull and Renault for the last number of years, and Cyril Abiteboul has predicted that Red Bull will continue to talk down on Renault next year when the Honda partnership gets underway.

“It’s hard for me today to set goals for next year,” Abiteboul said in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport. “It always depends a bit on the performance of the others in the sport. But if the curve is up like ours, you want this trend to continue.

“We may not succeed in terms of a Constructors’ position, but we want to narrow the gap to the top. Let’s wait and see what happens with Red Bull and Honda. Red Bull never tire of telling how good Honda is compared to us. May I state that Toro Rosso is still behind us?”