Horner denies rumours of Red Bull engine issues

Horner denies rumours of Red Bull engine issues

Martin Macdonald

Saturday 23 February 2019 11:25

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has denied rumours circling the paddock at Barcelona testing this week that the new RB15 car was suffering from vibration issues due to the integration of the new Honda engine into the new 2019 chassis.

At the end of the 2018 season, the team opted to switch engine manufacturers from Renault to Honda, and over testing at the Circuit de Catalunya there was nothing but glowing reports about the performance of the new power unit.

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However, one rumour suggested the car's full power was not being tested due to a vibration issue.

Horner has rubbished the claims.

"There’s absolutely no vibration issue that we encountered at all in any of the running," he told RaceFans.

"So I’m not quite sure where that’s come from.

"Red Bull Technology, having dealt with the integration of the drivetrain with Toro Rosso during the last year, had a pretty decent knowledge of what to expect.

"The working relationship with Honda and communication has been strong.

"The integration of the engine into the chassis and drivetrain has been one of the best, if not the best, that I’ve seen we’ve been able to do. So it’s a very neat package,"

The strong denial from Horner is in line with his previous comments on the Honda engine, as he previously described its integration into the Red Bull car as "a thing of beauty".

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