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Renault wary of Honda investment

Renault wary of Honda investment

18-10-2018 15:42

Honda engines are sure to be one of the biggest talking points ahead of the 2019 season with everybody waiting with bated breath to see if they can provide Red Bull with a package that allows the team to compete for race wins and who knows, even the title.

Honda’s journey in F1 since returning as an engine supplier has been a bit of a crazy one.

Three years with McLaren were horrific for both parties, the Japanese engine was underpowered and the McLaren team were frustrated.

McLaren dropped Honda at the end of 2017, and Toro Rosso picked it up and have had more success that McLaren managed, with the highlight being Pierre Gasly’s P4 in Bahrain at the beginning of the season.

Red Bull have been so impressed by Honda and so unimpressed by their current Renault engines that they have made the brave switch to the Honda power unit for 2019.

And now, Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul has admitted that Honda have got him worried with the amount of money they are prepared to pump into F1.

He said to MN: “Frankly I’m worried about everything in life, but in particular about a situation on the engine side. As we’ve seen since last year, Honda is making big steps, big gains.

“Red Bull has been very clear that they are investing massively, and apparently much more than us.”