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Horner: Honda installation 'the best we've ever had'

Published on 18 Feb 2019 17:12
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By: Fergal Walsh

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says that the installation of the Honda engine is the best its ever had since its been in Formula 1.

Honda will partner up with Red Bull in 2019 after the Japanese manufacturer spent the 2018 campaign with Red Bull's junior team Toro Rosso. Red Bull was left frustrated after five years with Renault in the turbo hybrid era, as the long-standing partnership failed to produce a championship competing car.

But ahead of its new era, Horner is cautiously optimistic heading into the new year, but says the initial relationship is running smoothly.

When asked about which weighs up stronger, the Honda power output or the chassis integration, Horner replied: "Ultimately, power is a dominating factor, I have to say the installation of this engine into the chassis is probably the best one we've ever had.

"When you look at how neatly integrated it is into the chassis, it really is a thing of beauty and I think the whole engineering team, collectively with Honda have done a great job in terms of installing what looks like a Swiss clock into the back of our chassis."

On Monday, Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost says that he believes the Red Bull Honda package can win races in 2019, but Horner played down the expectations, stating the growing relationship will not be a fast process.

"It's great to have that optimism and enthusiasm that Franz has shown, we're excited to be working with Honda in what is a true partnership as opposed to a customer-supplier relationship," Horner said.

"We're already feeling the benefits of that, so it's not going to be a fast process, there's no silver bullet and as the organisations learn more about each other, their strengths, their relative weaknesses, it's something that will grow over a period of time. But we're not actually putting any timescale on that."

Ramshoek00

Posts: 68

2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018... Renault underperformed both in power and reliability.

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Feb 18 2019 - 19:07

F1 News Christian Horner Red Bull Racing Honda

Replies (8)

mcbhargav

Posts: 1,332
The thing about Redbull is, readiness to throw previous associates under the bus, at the first instance of new relationship. Irrespective of their performances on the track, they are a poor team outside it, and very unprofessional at it.
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- Feb 18 2019 - 18:12
- Ramshoek00
  
  Posts: 68
  2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018... Renault underperformed both in power and reliability.
  + 1
  
  Feb 18 2019 - 19:07
calle.itw

Posts: 8,527
Well, did someone say I should be waiting for fireworks and explosions? Im sitting here, with crisps and milkshake, locked and loaded, and not even a single firework in the air. Not even a whimper. Sterdust, is not impressed. Sterdust, is left wanting.

Nice that they are enjoying this, and so far so good in terms of reliability it seems. I wonder if this will hold up. As for Renault vs Honda: yeah, Red Bull wasn't pleasant to Renault. Hhhoweverrr, my shrimp, not defending Horner and Marko (they should take a hike), is that Renault haven't been playing fair either. It looks like this was another happy divorce (so far at least). This looks like another case of the two being better off without each other. And Renault started the hybrid generation before Honda, they've by now had ample time to catch Merc' and Ferrari, and haven't, while it looks like Honda has progressed faster at a shorter time. Looks can deceive, of course, but to me, Honda look like the better horse.
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- Feb 18 2019 - 19:52
- ajpennypacker
  
  Posts: 2,475
  Horner was channeling Ron Dennis there for a minute... It's the Honda F1 effect. Every team manager has said something similar at some point while having the Honda engine in their cars, and before anything was proven on track. Horner may well be right, and maybe he's telling the truth. By I am way to cynical to believe that, particularly from Red Bull who have all the pettiness in the world to trash Renault and oversell their change of engines.
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  Feb 19 2019 - 05:04
- calle.itw
  
  Posts: 8,527
  Horner always did though, even before Honda. Now they just use Honda as a kinda bragging thing, as they always do with something. And as Renault do with Ricciardo now, should I add. I do find it annoying that where Honda ask for patience, Red Bull ask for hype, but that is kinda an issue in F1 in general nowadays. The McLaren Boss Brain Parasite, ironically, don't seem to be present at McLaren anymore, but spread to Renault and Red Bull. However, I also think RB do this to put pressure on Honda; get good or we'll dump you.
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  Feb 19 2019 - 06:55
RogerF1

Posts: 501
I think Honda just lost a huge fan base today in the UK, and maybe to some extent their customer teams as well. Not a brush McLaren would want to have been tarnished with, dodged a bullet as they say.
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- Feb 19 2019 - 00:08
- boudy
  
  Posts: 1,168
  The reason why Honda was in the UK was to supply the EURO market through the access that the UK has. They signed an direct deal with the EU so supply can now come direct hence they are closing UK and Turkey. In all the car market is changing because of the electrification of cars. Market realignment will and needs to happen so there will be changes.
  
  Still bad news though, I feel for the people involved.
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  Feb 19 2019 - 08:22
- calle.itw
  
  Posts: 8,527
  I really pity the poor employees that were affected by this closure, yet I can hardly blame Honda. They got a better deal, and the uncertainties around Brexit just made it harder for them to make sense of remaining in the UK. And as much as I like Honda, they are a company like any other, and they gotta make money. If it makes sense for them to screw someone over in order to make money, they most likely will... Unless its Nintendo of course. I do however think its silly to move so much of the production to Asia. It makes no sense in times where we should reduce emissions to supply the Euromarket from Japan.
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  Feb 19 2019 - 19:22