Honda is currently the main supplier of engines for the Red Bull Racing team at Formula 1, while the Japanese manufacturer suffered no race-day engine failures during the 2019 season.
Speaking to media, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen said he was very impressed with Honda’s engine during the campaign despite finishing third in the Drivers’ Championship and claiming three race wins.
“I think it went very well. The beginning is always guessing what they’re going to bring throughout the year, but I think they’ve made some really big improvements.” Verstappen said.
“What was very important compared to what we have before was the reliability. This year, we’ve never retired because of a Honda issue. If you want to fight for a world championship, that is what you need.
“So I am very, very impressed with the way they are working. I really love working with them because they are people of not too many words, and that’s exactly like me, but very focused on what they have to do. I just really, really enjoy working with them. They are very professional.
“It’s also about how the wires connect on to the engine, the stickers matching the other stickers, for what is connected on the engine going to the wire, which is then connecting that next bit. It’s little things, but for me, it’s so important. It’s the detail, attention to detail, which needs to be there.” Verstappen added.
Honda’s engine gains giving Verstappen the perfect combination in order to keep his strong pace on the track’s long straights. The performance of the 22-year-old driver was great when compared to Ferrari.
“You always want better and we will never be satisfied. I think qualifying it depends a bit on the track layout,” Verstappen said.
“From one to the other weekend between the three teams, it is close, but it shuffles around a little bit. We are in a good place. But of course, we always want more. So there’s still quite a bit of work to do.” he added.
