Red Bull and Toro Rosso to use same spec Honda engine throughout 2019

Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso will use the same specification engine throughout the 2019 season, Honda technical director Toyoharu Tanabe has confirmed.

Honda will supply two teams with power units for the first time since its return as a supplier in 2015 with McLaren. Last year, it made its debut with Toro Rosso, and will also provide engines to its sister team Red Bull this year, whose relationship with Renault ended at the conclusion of the 2018 campaign.

In its final year with Renault, there were a number of instances when Red Bull ran a different spec engine to the Renault works team and McLaren. However, Tanabe confirmed that the two energy drink-owned outfits will use the same upgrades throughout the year.

"Yes, we will," Tanabe said when asked about using the same spec. "It is the most logical method and one which Honda feels is best, not to mention that the regulations state we must supply all teams equally. But it’s not just a case of supplying the two teams with the same technical hardware.

"We will also treat them equally in terms of the resources we allocate to manage our operations and on the development side. This should be quite a straightforward procedure as the two teams are part of the same family and because we can work with Red Bull Technology."

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Last year, Toro Rosso recorded a best result of fourth place at the Bahrain Grand Prix. However, at the end of the season, it found itself ninth in the constructors' championship, after being overtaken by a rapidly developing Sauber team.

Speaking about Honda's goals for 2019, Tanabe said: "In simple terms, our aim is to achieve better results than in 2018 for both teams. For our partnership with Toro Rosso, that means finishing higher up in the constructors’ championship, scoring more points, running more reliably and, maybe even repeating last year’s Bahrain result or doing better.

"However, at this stage, we cannot know what to expect, because as in all sports, our result also depends on what our opponents can do."