Christian Horner says in 2018 they were at crossroads to decide to sign up with Honda and they did so seeing the resources and spirit.
After the troubles Honda had with McLaren in the V6 turbo era, the gamble to take in the Japanese manufacturer as a partner was high. The British team ended its deal, while Sauber too seemingly turned them down and with no takers, things didn’t look good.
But Red Bull kick-started discussions and the first breakthrough was a trial run with Toro Rosso in 2018. Honda became its exclusive partner and by mid-season, seeing the resources being put in and the spirit of people, the senior team took the decision.
It was a gamble still as 2018 didn’t see the engine to be world beaters. Also, Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull ahead of the Honda move amid perceptions of another troubled time for the Japanese manufacturer in the time to come.
But the partnership eventually blossomed. Max Verstappen took his first world title in 2021 and followed it up with two more, while Red Bull and Honda secured the constructors’ titles in 2022 and 2023 to make it a more successful partnership than McLaren-Honda of past.
“Strategically, McLaren had turned down Honda, Sauber had walked away from a deal with Honda, and so strategically, for us, it seemed sensible to place Honda with Toro Rosso, and then it gave Red Bull Racing the ability to evaluate versus our current partner,” said Horner to media. “There was a decision-point in June of 2018 where we had a crossroads where we had to make a decision.
“And based on the commitment that we could see, based on the resource and the spirit that Honda were applying, it was obvious to us that the Honda route was the right route to go. And since the first race in 2019 when we scored a podium on our debut and then three victories that year, bringing Honda back into a winners circle.
“We’ve now achieved more victories for Honda than McLaren during it’s championship days, Max is the most winning Honda driver ever and it’s been a great partnership. Honda have been a big part of what we’ve been able to achieve the last few years and particularly in 2023,” summed up Horner.
Here’s F1 2023 teams’ tier order: https://formularapida.net/f1-2023-teams-categorised-in-tier-system-for-their-performances/
Here’s F1 2023 drivers’ tier order: https://formularapida.net/f1-2023-drivers-categorised-in-tier-system-for-their-performances/
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