F1 News
Better than Senna: 'Verstappen with the most Honda wins'
- Ludo van Denderen
Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing's success is partly due to Honda's power unit. In the early years after his return to Formula 1, the Japanese car brand was reviled by McLaren and laughed at by many fans. Now there is mostly admiration for Honda's performance, although probably few could have imagined that the Japanese power unit would become so strong.
Christian Horner, Red Bull's team boss - with two seasons left in the partnership - cannot help but look back on bringing in Honda with extraordinary happiness. "Well, strategically, McLaren had turned down Honda. Sauber had walked away from a deal with Honda. 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," Horner told media - including GPblog.
Horner saw committed Honda
"And there was a decision point in June of 2018 where we had a crossroads where we had to make a decision. Based on the commitment that we could see, based on the spirit, based on the resource that Honda were applying, it was obvious to us that the Honda route was the right route to go." The rest is history. No one in the Red Bull camp has regretted that Honda and Red Bull teamed up.
"Since the first race in 2019, where we scored a podium on our debut, and then three victories that year, bringing Honda back into a winner's circle, Max is the most winning Honda driver ever. It's been a great partnership, and they've been a big part of what we've been able to achieve the last few years, and particularly this year," Horner praised the Japanese engine partner.