Honda will be 2019 'force' in F1 - Hakkinen
Honda will be 2019 'force' in F1 - Hakkinen
Red Bull-Honda looks set to be a "force" in Formula 1 after an impressive Australian Grand Prix. That is the view of former two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen, who applauded Honda's first podium since the Japanese manufacturer returned to F1 in 2015.
The works McLaren-Honda partnership was an utter failure, but in the first Honda-powered race for Red Bull in Australia, Max Verstappen finished on the podium.
"It has taken four difficult years of development, and the fact that Max Verstappen was able to achieve it by overtaking the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel was pretty special," Hakkinen wrote in his Unibet column.
GPFans F1 Podcast #2 - Australian GP recap, your questions and Guess The Grid!Read more
"It is clear that Red Bull-Honda will be a force in this year's world championship."
Toyoharu Tanabe, Honda's technical boss, is quoted by Diario Sport: "It takes some pressure off us.
However, he warned that it will take Red Bull-Honda some time before it is ready to win.
"We still see a clear difference to the best teams," he said. "The podium does not change any objective or expectation.
"The result of the race gives us hope, but [Melbourne was the result of] a combination of the characteristics of the car, the driver and the track.
"It is not easy to know where our current performance is. Each time it's a different circuit and in the next race we may be in a different position."
Dutchman Verstappen is happy so far with his first outing with Honda, which included an overtake on Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.
"For Honda it was super nice to be able to overtake a Ferrari on track," he told verstappen.nl.
But Verstappen also told Ziggo Sport that Red Bull needs to work on the car.
"The car was not quite the best in the medium corners. In fourth-fifth gear it can be better," he said.
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Verstappen takes F1 swipe at Hamilton and rivals with ruthless remark
- 54 minutes ago
Marko defends Ricciardo in 'unbelievable' idiot claim
- 1 hour ago
Hamilton hints at sensational Newey arrival at Ferrari
- 2 hours ago
Suspended Red Bull employee 'grilled' as Horner saga given potential END DATE
- 3 hours ago
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
- Today 18:58
F1 boss HITS BACK at star driver over schedule complaints
- Today 17:58
Related news
Newey exit DATE revealed as Red Bull F1 chief set to leave
Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret
Red Bull already sending parts to F1 race MONTHS away
Schumacher reveals what F1 pundits are NOT allowed to say about Red Bull
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860