Verstappen: Honda can put Red Bull on Ferrari, Mercedes' level

Max Verstappen says Red Bull's partnership with Honda can put them on a level footing with Ferrari and Mercedes in 2019. With Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel locked in a battle for supremacy in Formula 1, Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo have struggled to keep pace in the title race.

Red Bull's often acrimonious relationship with Renault has grown even more fractured in 2018, with sharp words exchanged with regularity since Red Bull announced a new deal with Honda.

After Verstappen retired early in the Hungarian Grand Prix, prompting team principal Christian Horner to point the finger at Renault, opposite number Cyril Abiteboul revealed that Red Bull had opted not to take an updated version of the component which had failed on Verstappen's car.

VIDEO: Ricciardo & Verstappen on Red Bull's 'crazy' 2018

Verstappen has also spoken of the frustrations Red Bull have faced seeing Renault add updates to their own cars before they filter down to the customers - but a factory relationship with Honda will move things along much quicker.

Although the Dutchman admits that Honda's struggles to match the power of their engine rivals leaves question marks over Red Bull's chances, he sees the positives.

"At the moment it's difficult to judge," Verstappen told the Goodwood website.

"We are all very motivated for next year already, and we won't need to wait two or three races for parts to be validated as we do at the moment because the factory team gets them first.

"Next year if there is something new it will come to the car straight away.

"If you are fighting Mercedes and Ferrari you need to be like a factory team because they are like that.

"Every single weekend they try to optimise everything they have and we would like to be like that.

"We just hope we'll have some more horsepower. Then we will surely do a very good job because our car is very strong."