F1 News
Wise decision Red Bull: 'Don't say goodbye if it goes well'
- GPblog.com
Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez did not drive in their usual blue and red livery during the Turkish Grand Prix, but instead it was white that was the base colour of the car and race suit during the weekend. With this, Red Bull Racing wanted to thank engine supplier Honda for their good work in recent years. Michael Bleekemolen thought it was a nice gift. "It's always nice when a team holds an action like that," he told GPblog in an exclusive interview.
Bleekemolen's thoughts immediately went back to the past. The 72-year old man from Amsterdam saw Honda shining on the circuits in the last century with its colours. "I really liked the idea, because it obviously means something to me. I've seen Honda drive in the past and I always think it's a good thing when a team pulls a marketing stunt like that."
Collaboration between Honda and Red Bull
Although Honda announced this year that it is leaving Formula 1, the Japanese company and Red Bull announced last week that the cooperation between the two companies will remain. Bleekemolen is happy with that. "Personally, I was hoping for that. If it goes well, you simply don't say goodbye to each other. I understood that they will now work together in a different way and I think that is a good thing. The engineers and people around the engine will stay, so a lot of knowledge will be preserved."
The recent past proved to Red Bull how important it is to have a reliable engine supplier. Renault, which supplied Red Bull with the engines up to and including 2018, caused a lot of internal turmoil for the Austrians. "When you have to switch to another brand again, it's always a big change. In that respect, it's positive for Verstappen that they are continuing the cooperation and Red Bull can build on the path it had already started."
Battle between Mercedes and Red Bull
That Red Bull have managed to compete against Mercedes this year, Bleekemolen thinks is worth an extra compliment. "It's hard to work against an empire like Mercedes. The fact that Red Bull has been able to do this for years says enough about the strength of the team. Next season the new rules will bring new facets, but in the end it's nice that things are quiet internally. Then the chances of performance are always greater."