Honda gave Red Bull "a new boost of energy" - Newey

Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey has described the "new boost of energy" that swept Red Bull when partnering with Honda in 2019.

Despite winning four world championship doubles together, the relationship between Red Bull and power unit supplier Renault had soured by the time of their split at the end of 2019.

Asked if the transition to Honda power gave new excitement to push, Newey said: "I think it gave everyone a new boost of energy.

"With Renault, during the V8 era, we had a very close and tight relationship with them and I felt we were treated completely neutral with the works team.

"As the hybrid era rolled on then the relationship between Renault and ourselves became increasingly difficult and fractured."

Heading into the summer shutdown, Red Bull is second in the constructors' standings to Mercedes with Max Verstappen also trailing Lewis Hamilton.

The team's first championship challenge since 2013, claimed Newey, would not have been possible had it remained with Renault.

"So it became an increasingly difficult period where, in truth, we knew it was always going to be near impossible to put up a championship challenge because we would be too far back," he explained.

"Whereas, with Honda, with their level of enthusiasm and commitment and progress, that is completely different.

"I think that level of commitment is such an important thing, it is not just the performance.

"If you can see your partner is as every bit as passionate and working just as hard as you are then you can just push each other along and if one makes a mistake, you can laugh at that, you can't criticise anybody for it because you know they are doing everything they can."

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