Honda: Gap to Mercedes and Ferrari still exists

Honda technical director Toyoharu Tanabe is happy with the performance gains the engine provider has made to Mercedes and Ferrari in 2019, but still believes a gap exists between Red Bull and the two top teams.

After an average start to the 2019 campaign, Red Bull won the Austrian Grand Prix via Max Verstappen to provide Honda with their first engine-powered victory in the sport for 13 years. The Dutchman won in Germany, too, while Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso was also successful with a podium spot.

Tanabe is content with the gains made, but is of the opinion there is still work to be done to bridge the gap to the Scuderia and Silver Arrows.

"When we started the Barcelona test and the first race, early in the season, I saw a big gap between our performance and the top runners' performance,” the Japanese admitted to Motorsport.com.

"We kept pushing and working very hard to reduce the gap, but it's still there. We've got two victories with Max [Verstappen], the good thing is Toro Rosso got one podium.

"Germany was a very tricky race, the teams and drivers worked very precisely and reacted very quickly to changing conditions. It gave us a good result.

"So far, [it has gone] better than I expected. But our desire is more than the current results. I know it's not easy.

"We have the team, driver and engine working well, and can achieve our goal. That's what I'm thinking now."

After the win in Austria, there were emotional scenes in the paddock as Honda celebrated with Red Bull, having finally broken their run of campaigns without a win. Tanabe is hungry for more success, though.

"It's a little difficult to show you my mind, but actually I am very happy!” he assured.

"People are working very hard at Sakura and there are many people watching us inside of Honda.

"The first win is one of the milestones. But our target is higher. I'm very happy, but we don't stop. Always another, another, one more.

"The goal is the championship. We are still far from the championship."

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